H2O
by Marril96
Summary: When three normal teenage girls stumble upon a ancient cave they undergo a transformation that will change their lives forever...
1. Midnight Magic

**NOTE: **Welcome to my story H2O. Please have fun reading it. You probably noticed I've deleted my story Blue Moon Rising. Why, you might ask? Because I've started this one way before that one and I have to finish it and translate it, also I have to finish many other stories as well. Here all the characters, and I mean ALL, belong to me and therefore they are my property. The island Ooha'oma is, like Mako Island, fictional so it also belongs to me. And this story is not in the world of original H2O: Just Add Water so those people do not exist here. Also the show doesn't either. Please, read and enjoy. It might be boring at the beginning, but later it will be better. This is also written like episodes so it's separate and sometimes it will be a two part epp. And there will be some language because let's face it – teenagers these days swear. A lot. I swear too, but not so much. So, this is supposed to be as realistic as possible (although it will not always be). Have fun!

**MAY'S POV**

I sat on the leather couch in the living room and ran my fingers through my shoulder – length dark brown hair. I took the phone and typed a number I wanted to call. "Hello, Melissa. It's me. I talked about the camping tomorrow with my parents. They said we're going off at eight."

Melissa Tanner was one of my two best friends. I've known her since fifth grade, when she moved to my city, Honolulu. Melissa is also my full opposite. I'm quite tall, while she is short. I have a few extra pounds, while Melissa is skinny. I am tanned, while her skin was milky – white and easy burned when on the sun. The only same thing we had were eyes; both of us have brownish – green colored ones.

Melissa had long light brown, wavy hair, that way almost always tied in a pony tail. She had a few spots on her face and even though she was fourteen, she looked at least two years younger, unlike me, who looked older even though I was the youngest of my group of friends.

My family's decided to go camping for the weekend on a small volcanic island called Ooha'oma. That uninhabited island was a few miles away from Honolulu and it was not really fun to go there since it was surrounded with lots of sharks and dangerous and endangered sea animals. The legends even said that many demons and evil beings live there, but those are only that – legends. I hope. I was not really sure if it was legal to go camping there, but since my dad was a cop, I presumed it was okay.

The idea of going there was actually giving me chills. I mean, why the hell do people even go camping? Lots of mosquitoes and flies and those annoying frogs and crickets that won't shut up for the whole night. But, not everyone was unhappy. Take Melissa, for example.

"Great, I can't wait!" her voice told me she was thrilled. Too thrilled if you ask me. "What will you take with you?"

"Only my swimsuit and that pink sundress I bought last week. I don't need anything else for that two days." Gee, what a question! What should I take with me? A giant bag with many coats and long T – shirts just in case it starts to snow? But, something like that wouldn't surprise me if it came from Melissa, our fashion adviser.

"Have you called Destiny?" Now she's changing the subject. She must've packed the giant bag I talked about earlier and is now ashamed to admit.

"I thought about calling her after I call you."

Destiny Bain was my second best friend. I've known her since I was four and I'm surprised how much we look alike. We're both about equally high, with her being a few centimeters taller, we both have a few extra pounds and out hairs are of the same color, except that hers is longer. Destiny's eyes are chocolate brown, and her skin is even paler than Melissa's and easily burns on the sun.

"Okay, then, call her. I gotta hang up and start packing." Melissa hung her phone up before I even had a chance to say goodbye. Really nice of her, if I might notice.

I typed Destiny's number, only to find out nobody's answering the phone. Since there was no other option, I had to send her an SMS which was, to me, a good thing. I always disliked talking over the phone. Sending SMS's was so much better and easier. _I hope you'll see the text, Des._

**DESTINY'S POV**

"I'm sooo sleepy!" I heard May whining, as we got out of the small boat May's dad, Mr. Seward, owned. We stepped on the soft, gentle sand of a big and beautiful Ooha'oma's beach surrounded by a big, green forest. For such a small island, it contained a very pretty nature.

"Me too. I went to bed at three am", I admitted. So what? Like you've never been caught in Facebook's nets and forced to chat with your friends just a little longer, not noticing how much time's passed.

I felt someone's hand on my shoulder, only to see Melissa smiling at May and me, resting her hands on our shoulders. "Oh, come on! It will be fun!"

Yeah, to her maybe. But not to me. I had better things to do than sleep in a bag and being a food for insects. Like, I could've clean my house or be on Facebook. Many, many possibilities there were and those sure were a lot smarter and better than go camping. I don't know what idiot convinced me to go camping. Oh, yeah, it was May. Of course!

"I wouldn't be so sure. Two days without internet. I'm gonna kill myself!" May said nervously. Although it was a pretty rare occasion, I agreed with her. The longest I endured without internet was one day, and that was barely. I almost exploded that day when we had a short circuit.

I noticed May's parents, a middle – aged, chubby people, dressed in the same while shirts and blue shorts, holding our tents and taking them out of the boat. I sighed. Maybe I should help them. I always like to help people. But then May would say I'm too boring. She always says that.

Melissa sat on the sand and put her pink rucksack down. She took off her blue dress, revealing a pink bikini that, I must admit, looked pretty good on her. She took off her blue flip – flops and ran towards the ocean. "I'm going swimming! Wanna come with me?"

May nodded. "Sure! Just to take my clothes off."

Melissa dove under the crystal blue ocean, swimming further and further away from the shore. I can't believe it's the same girl that almost drowned in the pool when we were on a field trip in sixth grade and grabbed the history teacher's leg. People around me change too much. I heard May parents' voices telling her to be careful. At least someone was smart enough to think about being careful.

I noticed May putting her olive – green rucksack on the sand and taking off her pink dress and flip – flops. Under it, she wore a white swimsuit with pretty, colorful parrots. "Des, wanna come with me?" she asked me.

I shook my head. "You go on. I might come later." She nodded and went after Melissa.

There was no way I was going swimming. My make up wouldn't survive. I mean, you try wearing a white face powder, red lipstick, black mascara, eyeliner and eyeshadow and look good under the water. Impossible, isn't it? Also, I'm not a very good swimmer. Especially after I almost drowned at the age of six when my dad was trying to teach me how to swim. Guess what; he didn't teach me. He made me fear the water. Thanks, dad!

I sat on the sand and put my hands around my knees. I wanted to approach the ocean and at least feel the water on my feet. But I couldn't find the courage to do so. Something made me back off. That ocean, that shone brightly under the morning sun, wouldn't let me come closer. It scared me. In my mind I saw the flashback of that day I almost drowned. It felt like I was reviving it.

"Destiny, are you okay?" Someone's voice shook me out of my thoughts. I saw Mrs. Seward standing beside me with a worried look on her face. I looked into her eyes, identical to those of May's. May looked a lot like her mother; same hair, same eyes and same tone of voice.

"I – I'm okay", I replied. It's not like I could admit I was afraid to come close to the water. "I'm just a bit tired."

Mrs. Seward smiled at me and took the cigarette out of her pocket, lighting it and heading back to her husband, who was trying to make fire old – fashioned way. It didn't work. At all.

I pointed my look back at the ocean. _I wish I could swim. Then I'd be able to be with them there now._

**MELISSA'S POV**

Mrs. Seward said goodnight to us before she and her husband went to bed. It was 11 pm already and my bedtime was supposed to be two hours ago. So what? I like to go to bed early so I can get up early and enjoy the day like normal people, not like Destiny and May, who spend half the day sleeping. I saw May heading toward our tent. She wasn't going to bed, was she? I mean, she usually goes to bed around one, sometimes five if it's the summer break. There must've been a catch.

"What are you doing?" I had to ask to be sure. As she turned to me, I saw a devious look on her face. She was definitely up to something.

"Leaving my cell phone in the tent. I turned it off so my battery is alive enough for these two days", she said, putting her cell phone in her rucksack. Destiny did the same. What are they? Sisters? Twins? Always doing the same things, even though they don't always agree on said things.

"That's why I left mine at home", I said proudly. I was not much of a cell phone addict, like these two.

May laughed. "You're such a nerd!"

"What? I'm not an addict like you two!" I said, chuckling. "I'm also not the internet addict." Now that hit the spot.

"You said it on purpose!" Destiny yelled. She was quite funny when she was mad. I knew she missed Facebook. I mean, I did too, but I had a level of self control, not like her. She was a real control freak sometimes, but the only thing she could never control was herself. I found it pretty funny.

"Enough, enough, enough! No one will mention internet in these two days or I'll be accused of murder. And trust me, I know how to hide the body and leave no evidence behind." That was May, a famous CSI lover. More a CSI addict. It was a guilty pleasure of hers, and also her big obsession. If she missed an episode, she would go crazy. Really crazy. I remember once she almost broke her arm on PE when our school lasted a bit longer, so she would be allowed to go home and watch CSI. Crazy person, I know.

Destiny and I laughed. I looked at the sky bathed in billions of shiny stars. I noticed the full moon shining bright yellow light almost above the top of the old volcano. "It's the full moon tonight, meaning, May'll go crazy."

Destiny laughed even more, while May slightly slapped me on the back of my head. "Very funny."

Both of us let out a laugh, before Destiny had to ruin all the fun with being serious. "No, really. What should we do?"

"I say we go exploring the island. That's what I was going to do. You can join me", May said. It actually sounded a bit fun, but of course that Destiny had to complain.

"Are you out of your mind? What if some wild animal attacks us? Like some kind of a wild pig for example? Or a violent bird? Or some other kind of a wild animal?"

"A pig on Ooha'oma? A violent bird? And what kind of other wild animal exactly? Beware the almighty mosquitoes?" May said in a fake scared tone. I agree with her, that sounded stupid. Really stupid. Destiny always had the "best" ideas. If there was a reward of making the most not logical horror movie in history, I'm sure she'd win the first place.

"Okay, that – that is unlikely", Destiny admitted, slightly blushing. "But... What about the light, huh? We could get lost!"

"We have moonlight!" May said. Thank you for stating the obvious for those who don't get it. But, just in case, I went to my rucksack and took a yellow flashlight my mom packed for me.

"This might help too."

May smiled and gave me one of the tightest hugs possible. I knew she liked it when I agreed with her. "Let's go then!"

The two of us turned to the green forest that rose in front of us. A big volcano towered us from above. I just had to go explore that beauty of the nature.

"You two are out of your minds! There's no way I'm going!" Destiny yelled, crossing her hands against her chest. She sticked to her opinion, but I knew her enough to know that she changed her mind pretty often, she just needed good arguments.

"Then don't! Stay here and when my mom wakes up later this night, you can enjoy hearing stories about domesticated animals. I'm sure you'll have a nice time!" May said sarcastically, as she and I headed toward the forest. I glanced at Destiny, who just rolled her eyes.

"Hey, wait for me! Don't go without me!" she yelled, running to catch up with us. I knew she'll change her mind. Good girl.

- H2O -

The three of us somehow managed to get through all those trees and high grass, getting to the rocks. There was a fast river that spread through the whole island and its spring was somewhere around those rocks. May jumped on the rocks first, followed by me and Destiny. The rocks were pretty slippery and she was not really careful.

"Be careful. You don't want to break a leg or something." Even though I knew she wouldn't listen to me, I had to warn her. She was my friend after all and it wouldn't be so cool if she gets hurt.

"Everything'll be fine", I heard her answer. She was still not careful and walked pretty fast. What could I do? She's the youngest of three of us so her ''youth'' may justify her immaturity. But the worst part is that I picked after her, like a copycat or something.

"I can't believe you taught me into this." Yes, you're right! Ms. Responsibility – the oldest one of the group – complained again. Someone just needed to teach her how to have fun. Complaining all the time was not fun, it was annoying.

Although it was pretty dark and the only light was moonlight and my weak flashlight, I managed to see May roll her eyes. "Oh, shu -" Her scream made me scream too. And in a second, the dark swallowed her and she was nowhere to be seen. _Oh, no! May!_

**MAY'S POV**

It was so much fun exploring the island at night. All the dark around and it was quiet – well, except for those annoying crickets and frogs – and peaceful. Look at the full moon above me made me feel safe and protected. I always liked the moon – it had something that attracted me. Something... Magical.

I found it pretty annoying that Destiny complained all the time. I mean, no one forced her to go with us. She could've been at the beach, sleeping, or listening to my mom's ''educational'' talks about domesticated animals. But no – she just had to come and then complain all the way. I was just about to tell her to shut up, when I tripped over a small rock and fell into some kind of a cave. I got to the bottom of it gliding down the rocky – but smooth - surface, like I'm on some kind of a toboggan. The cave was pretty deep and I couldn't even see the shadows of my friends.

"May!" I heard the girls calling for me.

"I'm okay!" I replied. I tried climbing up, but the rock was too slippery. It must be because of the rain that fell two days ago. Although I like the rain, it made my life a hell at that moment. Or that's what I thought.

I heard the sound of something gliding down and looked up to see what it is. It was pretty light down there for some reason, but I haven't seen anything... Yet. A brown - haired figure in a short blue dress landed on me, knocking me on the ground. I let out a scream of pain as I hit the hard, rocky ground.

"Sorry." It was Melissa. I noticed how she carefully observed me, before asking: "Are you okay?"

"I will be after you get off of me", I said. She was not pretty heavy, but you try having someone sitting on your lungs and still feel fine.

Melissa got up and looked around. "Look at this." I looked behind myself and saw the most beautiful scene in my life – a sea pool, with crystal clear – blue – water in it stood under the top of the high volcano. There was a big hole on the top and you could see billions of stars shining through it. I gasped. Why haven't we learned anything about this place at school? It looks amazing.

"It's beautiful..."

"I know..." Melissa said.

A sound of something hitting the ground next to us made us both turn around, only to see a girl clad in knee - length dark jeans and a red T – shirt lying on the hard ground – Destiny. She got up and gave us both a sharp look.

"I asked if you're okay... About ten times!" she yelled and took a step closer to us. "So for the eleventh time, ARE YOU OKAY?"

"YES!" Melissa replied. I curved my lips into a fake smile. Someone's been moody today.

"What is that?" Destiny pointed towards the sea pool. I was just about to explain, but was cut off by her. "You know what? I don't even care. Let's just get out of here."

"We can't, I tried", I said. Now this is when one of those times when Destiny goes crazy.

"We can't? But how are we supposed to get out? I knew this was a bad idea! I just knew it! And something and will happen now. I don't know what, but it will!"

I rolled my eyes. Couldn't she just calm down for a minute? Think about everything maybe? But luckily, I had a plan. A pretty good plan. "We can go through this pool. There must be a hole underwater that leads to the open ocean. If the hole is big enough, we can get out."

I sat on the edge of the pool, ready to jump in, but Destiny – of course – had to complain. "You know I don't go into water."

Okay, I know she was afraid of the water, but there were three of us and two of us knew how to swim properly and was ready to help the third one. "Melissa and I will help you."

"Right." Melissa sat next to me. Destiny shook her head.

"I am not doing it."

"Fine. Then stay here and wait for help till Monday morning. It's Sunday tomorrow, you know that, right?" And with that, I jumped into the pool, followed by Melissa.

Destiny, having no other choice, slowly got into the pool with us. I dove under the water, just to make sure we could get out. I noticed a big underwater hole and smiled, diving out. "We can go."

I took Destiny's hand, ready to dive under the water again, when suddenly I noticed the moon covering the top of the volcano. It's bright, golden light bathed Melissa, Destiny and me and that's when something strange happened. The water started to bubble and golden sparks rose from it, flying towards the sky. I felt something strange inside of me, like I'm changing in some way. The three couldn't get our eyes off of the moon, until it disappeared. Weird.

"So weird", Destiny said.

"So cool", I said at the same time. Melisa smiled.

Destiny rolled her eyes. "Can we go now? I wanna go sleep."

I nodded. Melissa dove under water first, followed by me and Destiny, with me holding Destiny's hand tightly. It was hard for me to swim with only one hand and the other one busy holding my friend's. But the two of us managed to survive. As we dove out, all three of us took a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" I asked Destiny. I had to be sure she was okay since she looked kinda scared, even though she would never admit it.

Destiny nodded, tightening her grip on my hand. "Please, get me out of here."

"We're going, but… Which way?" Great, now we got lost. I mean, I knew we were still on the same side of the island, but I wasn't exactly sure on which spot. I should be more careful in the future.

Melissa pointed her hand to the right side. "I think it's that way."

**MELISSA'S POV**

As I slowly opened my eyes to greet the sunlight, I stepped out the tent and yawned, opening my mouth as wide as I could. I had my look on Mr. and Mrs. Seward a few feet away opening the white portable fridge and taking out some bread and margarine.

"Good morning, Melissa", the two of them greeted as they noticed me approaching them. They were actually pretty nice people. Made me wonder who May took after.

Anyway, I returned the greeting and sat next to them. They asked me to have breakfast with them, which I refused since I wasn't feeling right at the moment. It must be because my lack of sleep. I know that it was noon already, but I was usually up long ago so this was a whole new experience to me. May, hanging out with May for the night makes you change your traditions. And hanging out with Destiny… Well, it makes you become paranoid, which I was not. Thank God.

"What is this?" Speaking of the devil. Destiny and May got out the tent and sat next to me. They both looked sleepy and exhausted. Well, she did propose the midnight explore, so she should be aware of the consequences. Not that I didn't like it, I'm just saying.

"Why don't you two eat something?" asked Mrs. Seward.

I noticed May shaking her head, trying to avoid the sunlight by putting her hand over her eyes. "No way, you know I never eat in the morning."

"But it's noon!" I said.

May rolled her eyes. "I just woke up and for me it is morning."

"Same here", Destiny stated.

As I got bored of sitting on the sunlight - and also afraid of burning my skin - I got up and headed to the ocean. I told everyone I'm going swimming and even asked them to join me, but no one wanted. It's okay, I'm a big girl. I could take care of myself. As I got into the water, I quickly dove under, swimming as fast as possible. Since last night, I felt something attracting me to the water, but didn't know what it was. I even went swimming in my swimsuit since my dress was wet and I haven't brought my PJ's. I'm going to thank that to May and Destiny, who always complain about how much clothes and cosmetics I'm taking with me everywhere I go. I mean, it's the truth about the clothes, but the cosmetics girl here was Destiny, not me. She's the one looking all Marilyn Mansonish after all.

As I dove out, I took a deep breath, ready to dive back under, but that's when I felt something strange happening to me. I felt my legs merging together and started to wave my hands, hitting the water with them. I looked down and almost screamed at the sight of a big fish's tail, covered with bronzy – golden scales. I noticed a matching top covering my small breasts, as if it's some kind of a bra. What the hell was going on? How did that happen?

**MAY'S POV**

Just as Melissa went for a swim, I was about to go after her, but I remembered I wanted to go and snap some pictures of this beautiful nature. I went to the tent to get my cell phone and informed my parents of where I was going before leaving. I was warned not to go deep into the forest, which I found a pretty nice advice after the last night's events. What if there were other rock or underground caves? I could fall into one of those and never get out, end up alone and starve to death. Okay, I started dramatizing again and it had to stop. I was not turning into Destiny, even though I was actually the one that first dramatized over everything. Poor Destiny just picked up, while I became more self confident.

My "photo session" ended with a nice beach walk back to my tent. I slowly walked near the peaceful and quiet ocean, noticing it's smallest waves hitting the sandy surface. I felt it's coldness on my feet as a new set of tiny waves hit the shore and slightly jumped. I woke up only about an hour ago, it's not as I was fully awake yet. For me to be fully awake, it needed to pass at least three hours or something.

All of a sudden, I got a strange feeling in my legs and found myself falling on the sand. I carefully observed my surroundings, still confused and sleepy. I took a look on my torso. I noticed that the cell phone around my neck and all my clothes were gone, replaced by a scaly top that covered my big breasts.

As I turned my head to look at my legs, my eyes went wide open. A big, fish's tail replaced my legs, making me gasp. What the hell happened? I mean, one minute I'm walking on the beach, and the next one I'm laying on the sand with a giant tail at the place of my legs. Something must've happened and whatever it was, it was pretty cool. It was like I was a… Mermaid.

**DESTINY'S POV**

Watching Melissa and May leaving their ways, I went to the tent and took my cell phone and a bottle of water out. I leaned against the back of a tent, enjoying the coolness that the tree shadows gave. I noticed a three missed calls, all from my parents, so I sent them an SMS that I was fine. I was not really in the mood to talk to them. I was never in the mood for that, but that day was one of my most moody ones. If I heard their voice, I'd probably yell my lungs out and suffocate because of lack of air.

I opened the bottle of water and started drinking, when suddenly I spilt almost half the bottle on my. Yeah, I was a clumsy person. Moody and clumsy, what a nice combination!

"Damn it!" I muttered to myself, ready to go back to the tent to dry myself off, when I got this strange feeling that my legs are merging, and I fell to the soft, gentle, sandy surface. At first I had no idea what the hell was going on, but I soon realized after I saw a fish's tail and a top covering my breasts. I shook my head and blinked a couple of times, trying to convince myself that what happened wasn't real, but it was a mission impossible because, well… It was real. And the girls had to know about it.

- H2O -

"… And in about ten seconds I got this giant golden tail", May explained as she, Melissa and I hid in our tent an hour later. Apparently the same thing happened to the two of them too, which was a good thing… I guess.

"Yeah, and I had to get completely dry to get my legs back", Melissa added.

May nodded. "It's same with me."

"Me too", I said. The way they talked about it made it seem like they were happy that what happened, happened, but it was everything but a great thing. I mean, if what I thought was true, we could never get wet in public again or go to field trips or swim at PE in school. How is that great?

"You know, girls… This kinda makes us…" May said, giggling. "Mermaids."

"Totally!" Melissa smiled.

Now that was enough for me. "Mermaids do not exist! You're too old to believe in that kind of things!" I yelled. As far as I knew, mermaids did not exist. Well, at least not until then or someone would've said or heard something.

"Yes, they do. We are mermaids." Man, that May really knew how to make someone mad.

"No, we're not! We're humans!" It was obvious that we were mermaids, but I just refused to admit it. Why, you might ask? It's because my pride wouldn't let me. I was the oldest of three of us and the most responsible one so I was the one who was supposed to be serious. So I tried to be serious, it resulting in denying an already existing fact.

"Mer-maids", Melissa repeated. "We're mer-maids."

"I shouldn't have listened to you last night and go exploring. This must be a side-effect of what happened in that weird cave pool. And it's all your fault", I said, now sounding angry. I was not trying to sound angry, I was just scared of what I've become. But it's true what old people say, that everyone reacts at fear differently.

"It's so cool, isn't it?" Melissa asked me, putting her hand on my shoulder.

I swallowed. "Cool? I'm a fish, for God's sake!"

- H2O -

**Please, review. And please, no mean comments. Suggestions to make it better are very welcome, but if you have nothing nice to say, just don't. And I've noticed that some people are advertising shoes sale on others' stories. Don't do that here, please!**


	2. Final Test

**MELISSA'S POV**

I was happy about finding out I'm a mermaid. I remember that when I was a kid, all I ever wanted was to become a mermaid. And now my childhood dream came true. I don't know why Destiny was making so much drama about it. I mean, it was weird to be a fish, but also it was cool because you could swim a lot easier and maybe even breathe underwater. This was also a good chance for Destiny to learn how to swim and overcome her fear of water.

As I stood with May and Destiny, leaned on our tent, I glanced at the ocean that gracefully shone and sparkled under the sun. There were still a couple of hours before we went back home, so why don't enjoy it the best possible way?

"Anyone up for a swim?"

"Yeah, let's go!" A big smile came across May's face. I knew she was liking this as much as I did, and that she was inpatient to go and try on our new swimming ''equipment''.

"I'm not going." But of course, there was Destiny to reject all the fun. Always so serious about things, she barely even had any fun. So, whenever I saw her cheat on a test, I always doubted that what I've seen was true.

"Okay, you stay here then." I took May's hand. "Let's go, May."

May nodded and the two of us ran towards the ocean. We heard Destiny yelling after us to be careful and not to be seen by May's parents and convinced her that we will be. Finally she said something smart.

As May and I made sure we were safe, we carefully approached the shoal, took each other's hands again and smiled at each other.

"Let's count to see how much time it takes for us to transform", May said.

I smiled. We felt the salt water on our feet and both started counting. When we got to ten, our tails spread and we fell to the sand. We started laughing; it was not because we thought it was funny, but because we couldn't believe that what happened was real. Not every day you grow a tail when you touch water so for us it was an incredible experience.

"Wanna go to that sea pool?" I asked.

May nodded. "Yes. And I have a name for it - the moon pool." Of course that she had a name for it. She always has a name for everything, which is mostly a good thing. Especially when she's nicknaming teachers.

"Sounds cool." I have to admit that the name she picked really did sound cool. Full moon being above it yesterday - probably making us like this - and all those weird things that happened there make the name sound appropriate. "Let's go for swim then."

I noticed May having her eyes on my neck, observing it carefully. She frowned and mumbled something. It all seemed so weird. "What?"

"You don't have gills."

"I do not?" Okay, that was strange. Was I supposed to have gills? I guess May figured that they come with a tail. I took a look at May's neck, noticing nothing but bare, plain skin. "You don't have them either. And I'm wondering about this because..."

"I just figured we would have gills, being part fish and all. I guess we can just hold our breath for longer or something", May said. I had to agree on that, it was amazing. Being able hold breath for long underwater made all of this even more fun.

The two of us crawled to the ocean and as we got deep enough, we dove under. Waving my tail was a real nightmare at the beginning because I was used to waving my two legs. I tried my best to at least move my tail, but it didn't really work. I noticed May having the same problem and smiled at her. She smiled back.

With a wave of our hands, May and I dove out. "I see you're having the same problem", I said.

She nodded. "This damn thing is too heavy and too hard to move."

"At least we can't get ourselves drowned", I mumbled.

**DESTINY'S POV**

I couldn't realize what was so damn amazing about being a fish. You have all those scales and that tail, you maybe even smell like a fish. So why was it so cool to Melissa and May? Don't they realize what all of this means? It will be hard to keep all that a secret, but we will have to unless we want to end up as someone's science project.

I curled up in the tent and sent another SMS to my parents, then checked the time. It was 6:30 am already and it was almost about the time to go back home. Those two crazies spent almost whole afternoon in the ocean. I just hoped they didn't drown or ended up as some shark's lunch. If they did, then I would be the only one stuck as a fish. I didn't want that.

_Why me? _Was the question I kept asking myself since I discovered that other part of me. I mean, couldn't it have been someone else that got the joy of being a fish with May and Melissa? Why was I one of the lucky winners? Isn't there some law of the universe that makes it impossible for people to turn into mermaids? I remember learning something about those laws on my physics classes. Too bad I never pay attention in school; you can learn some pretty important things there that at first sound really stupid.

"Destiny, you in there?" I heard Mrs. Seward calling me.

"Yes", I answered.

"We should get ready to go back. Do you know where Melissa and May are?"

Yes, I do. They are somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, swimming with sharks and dolphins, trying out those new tails they've got instead of legs. You should see them, they look so lovely. "No, they told me they're going for a walk."

"Okay, well if you see them, please let me know. And you should start packing."

"Sure", I replied and immediately started packing my things. The sooner I'm done, the sooner I get to go home and enjoy spending the night on Facebook. Maybe I could write "Mermaided" on my status. People would like it for sure.

I noticed the tent opening and saw Melissa and May enter it. They said hi to me and started packing their things. I could see big smiled on their faces. I guess the swimming went well.

"You have no idea what you've missed", May said as she changed into her sundress and packed her swimsuit in her rucksack.

"Yeah, it was so much fun!" Melissa added. "Well, at first it was kind of hard moving our tails, but once we got into it, it went pretty easy."

I curved my lips into a fake smile. "Good for you." They were getting pretty boring with all this ''amazing'' shit. They knew I didn't like water and swimming and all those things and they still were so persistent.

- H2O -

As we got everything packed and boarded it on the boat, it was time for us to say goodbye to the island. I could tell May and Melissa were sad by their facial expressions, but me… I was glad to finally leave this uninhabited land. As I headed towards the boat, I noticed the two of my friends standing still and looking worried.

"What is it?" I asked. If they really liked this place so much, they could swim here whenever the hell they wanted.

"What if we get wet on the boat?" Melissa asked.

Okay, that actually sounded like a problem. If we get exposed to May's parents, we're screwed. They are really nice people and everything, but I don't think they would handle it pretty well if they knew their daughter and her friends are fishes.

**MELISSA'S POV**

Although May, Destiny and I feared we might get exposed to May's parents during a ride back home, we got home safe and undiscovered. As I entered my house, I said hello to my parents and quickly ran to my room. They wanted me to talk about my camping adventures, but I was just not in the mood. What was I supposed to say? 'Hey, mom, dad, May, Destiny and I went to explore the island at night and next morning we found out we're mermaids. Isn't it great?' That would sound so wrong, I just knew it.

My room was pretty small, but I found it safe and warm. Its walls were light blue, almost white, and were filled with Rihanna and Fergie posters. A closet and a computer desk were in the left and right corner. My small bed was near the glass balcony door. From the balcony I had a perfect view on the ocean that stood just across the road in front of my house. My neighborhood was pretty quiet, except when my neighbors' grandchildren come to visit during holidays. Then it turns into nightmare that starts at exactly 6 am.

As I unpacked my things, I went to the kitchen to eat dinner. My mom's made my favorite meal - a chocolate pancakes. I was ready to take a bite when my younger sister, Misty, came through the door with a disappointed look on her face. Her black hair was tied in a ponytail, revealing her small face and her small, dark eyes. Unlike me, she was pretty tanned, which made me a bit jealous. But both her and I were short and looked two years younger for our age. She was eleven - year old with a face of a nine - year old. Kinda funny if you ask me. She was dressed in a pink T - shirt, blue shorts and yellow flip - flops.

"You're here already? Damn it! I hoped you'd get eaten by sharks!" Oh, good old Misty's humor. She and I always treated each other like that. She was the one that is always mean to me, I just fight back. I'm surprised how she, Destiny and May have such a good relationship. Maybe one of them could adopt her? I'll have to ask them next time I see them.

"I'll never let you have that joy", I said. When talking to her I always have to get to her level and confuse her, or else she'll claim her win.

"I can see that." She rolled her eyes and sat next to me at the dinner table. She took one chocolate pancake and took a small bite. "I bet it was so boring on that camping trip. You probably almost died out of boredom."

"You have no idea." Well, I couldn't actually reveal my new secret to her. If I do, then whole school would know in a second. I couldn't allow that to happen.

Misty got up and went to take a glass of water. As she passed by me to get back at the table, she tripped over her own foot and fell to the floor. The glass she was carrying broke into hundreds of pieces and all the water that was in it splashed the floor. I screamed in fear of getting wet and jumped on the chair I was sitting on, reflexively putting my hands up in front of me like a stop sign. All the water that was down immediately froze. My parents and Misty observed the frozen water, trying to think of a good explanation for that. I, on the other hand, had a perfectly good explanation.

I ran to the bathroom and locked the door behind me and then let the water fall down the faucet. I put my hand in front of me just like I did a few minutes ago. The water froze. I smiled and, out of joy, started to jump around the bathroom. I could freeze water. I could actually freeze water. I tried freezing something else, but the only freezable thing was water. It was so incredible! I've actually got a power. A magical power, something I've dreamed about for so long now actually came true. I remember the talks I had with May about powers and stuff and all those promises that if one of us ever had powers, she would help the other one with them and have fun together. Destiny wouldn't even hear about that. She was a big skeptic, which annoyed me sometimes. But May and I… We believed. And now what we believed was proved right. Magic really exists.

I thought that becoming a mermaid was amazing, but now that I have this power I found being a mermaid a less fun thing. Sure, I could swim better and hold my breath for a long time and have a tail, but having a power was actually I useful thing. I could make my own ice creams or, my favorite, cold cappuccinos. I had to let the girls know about this. I mean, if what I think is true, Destiny and May should also have powers. We all became mermaids together so we should all have powers too. But at the moment I was too excited to send a text or make a call so why not wait till school tomorrow morning?

**DESTINY'S POV**

I couldn't wait till I got home. Too many strange things happened in only two days and it was just too much for me. Entering the house, I said hi to my parents and went into the dining room to eat dinner. I haven't eaten anything for the whole damn day and was feeling pretty exhausted. My mother served me baked pork and I immediately started eating. It was so delicious that I ate everything I found on the plate in just half an hour. I drank two big glasses of water, but was being careful not to get wet.

"You should go to bed now", my mother said as she cleaned the table. Like I was gonna listen to her.

"No way, I have to check my messages first", I said.

My mom just rolled her eyes, while dad smiled. She hated new technology and always said that it's turning people evil. You have my full permission to make fun of her. But dad was cool with that. He even had a Facebook account. I made it for him.

"You should go study instead." But of course, mom was a school freak. The fact that she's a housewife with only high school finished made her think that I should become a second Einstein. Well guess what? I'm a complete opposite, a total school - hater and I'm damn proud of it.

"You should go to college instead of preaching me here." I was not letting this go easy. You thought she was mean? I can be worse. A lot worse. I took a glass in my left hand and was just about to drink more water, when I heard her preaching again.

"I don't know what's the matter with children these days. When I was your age, if I ever talked to my mother like that, she would beat me up to make me realize who's in charge. And that looks of yours… Who normal looks like that? So much make up and all that black and red and those dark colors."

Now that was way out of line. Was she trying to say that abusing children is a way to raise them? Has she ever thought about talking to them in a nice way, without insulting them _or_ their style? Why was it her problem how I dressed up anyway? It's my life and my appearance, not hers. I clenched my fingers in anger, trying my best not to send her to hell, when I felt the water in the glass I was holding in my other hand turning hotter and hotter. I glanced at the boiled water, then put the glass back to the table and ran to my room.

As I closed the door, I leaned my back on them and looked at my hands. I observed my long, skinny fingers and my long, black nail - polished fingernails. That what happened right now with the water, did I cause it? Did I make the water boil by clenching my fingers? After becoming a mermaid, it was possible. Nothing would surprise me after that.

I looked at the paper that stood on my bed and clenched my fingers again. Nothing happened. But what if I could only boil water? I am a mermaid after all and as that, I'm related to water. Now all the talks Melissa and May had came to me. They knew magic was real all along and I… I was the skeptic one. I was the one that denied it. I was the one that made my friends shut up when they talked about magic. And now… I have the power.

**MAY'S POV**

As my parents and I set up in our house, the first thing I've done was going online and checking my messages on deviantArt. There were about 200 of them, mostly my watch and thank you's for the favorites. I was still excited about being a mermaid and after spending almost whole afternoon in the ocean, I started to feel kinda like a part of it. I had this great desire to write a deviantArt journal and let the world know I'm a mermaid, but I had to restrain myself from doing it. If I did that, I would only attract trolls and flamers, accusing me of lying, and I would also reveal my secret. I could not allow that happen.

"May, are you inside?" I heard a knock on my door. It was my mom, disturbing me… Again!

"Yes, mom", I replied, annoyed. I rolled my eyes. "What do you want?"

"I just came to tell you I'll make you something to eat for dinner." Of course she was. Whenever I was on a diet, she always preached about me becoming anorexic, but if you could actually see me, you'd realize I'm way too far from that. At the moment I was not on a diet, but still, I wanted to be left alone.

"I don't want to eat anything, I'm not hungry."

"I'll make you a hamburger." Okay, you can forget what I said.

"Now we're talking."

- H2O -

With my eyes gently closed, I enjoyed the vanilla smell of a shampoo as I lay in the bathtub that was whole filled with water. There wasn't any better way to spend time after eating dinner. The water was warm and I felt kinda protected being in it. But, my eyes couldn't stay closed for long as I couldn't take them off my tail. My tail was pretty big and it hung over the edge of the bathtub. I was still questioning myself if this was real. I mean, it was still too early for me to get used to it since I only got this tail this morning.

Then a question appeared in my mind - have I got any powers? I watched 'Aquamarine' once and the mermaid there had water - related powers, so I was wondering if maybe I had them too. I tried moving my hands and fingers above the water in the bathtub, but nothing happened. But what if my powers have nothing to do with water? I've always wanted to get telekinesis so maybe my wish came true. I looked at the toilet paper role and squinted my eyes, trying to move it. Nothing. Then I waved my finger. Again, nothing happened. Maybe I didn't get powers after all.

I remembered the hand movement Piper from 'Charmed' did when using her powers, so I decided to try it out. I opened my hand, waving it right and left and a tentacle of water started to rise up from the bathtub. I opened my mouth wide and smiled. I knew I had powers! I knew those were real!

As I put my hand down, the water tentacle fell down to the rest of the water. I did the same thing again, but this time I somehow managed to make a ball of water and levitate it. I felt so proud of myself. Normal people would probably be scared of themselves or jump around the house if they find out they have powers, but with me it was different since I believed in that stuff already and there was nothing anymore that could surprise me. Although I wanted telekinesis, hydrokinesis was also a good thing. Telekinetics move things with their mind and I move water. _Melissa will be so jealous and Destiny will probably freak out!_

- H2O -

As I opened a big, white classroom door, I headed towards my desk and sat on the chair. I put my school rucksack down and leaned on the chair back. I wore a knee - length bleached jeans, pink T - shirt with a panda's head on it and pink shoes with fat brown heels. Yes, pink is my favorite color, but don't get the wrong impression - I'm not as girly as you may think. I'm quite dangerous, especially now that I've got powers.

Opening the rucksack, I remembered I had a chemistry test today. A final test that decides my grade. If I fail this, I fail the whole subject and then I'm screwed. And I haven't studied. I haven't had time. I forgot about the damn test actually. I think I'm destined to fail.

I heard the door opening and saw Melissa and Destiny entering the classroom. Melissa wore a white tunic and black tights and Destiny wore black T - shirt with a skull on the front and knee - length dark jeans she wore yesterday. The two of them obviously talked about something extra fun since both of them looked pretty content and excited. They greeted me as Melissa sat next to me and Destiny at the desk in front of us.

"Girls, I have to tell you something", I said. I was ready to tell them everything about the power. I knew they'll totally go crazy.

"We have to tell you something too", said Melissa, "But you go first."

"Okay." This was intense. I was kinda embarrassed talking about it. Why? I dunno. Maybe because I'm that kind of a person. But what had to be said, had to be said. I was not gonna be quiet about this, not with my best friends. "Last night when I was having a bath, I found out that I have this power to move and levitate water. You should've seen it, it was so cool!"

I noticed a grin on Melissa and Destiny's faces. They surely looked surprised, but what Melissa said to me afterwards was totally unexpected. "We got powers too." That was new. But I admit I was pretty stupid. We became mermaids together so it's obvious that they had water powers too. "I can freeze water, Destiny can boil it."

Freezing and boiling? Of course, the three water states - liquid, solid and gas. Why haven't I thought of that earlier? Man, I was so stupid that day, probably because of all the excitement I've been through these days.

As the bell rang, all my classmates ran into the classroom. They all took their places and took their chemistry books, trying to study those few seconds before the teacher appeared. I was also about to study, but I just couldn't take my eyes off him - spiky dark brown hair, brown eyes, tanned, tall, skinny and smells so good. Yes, that was Dyson Zachary, the guy I was in love with since 5th grade, when he moved here. He came in this school exactly the same day Melissa did and immediately became my whole world and guest starred in most of my dreams. He was one of those hot sweethearts, always ready to help everyone. There was a rumor he had a crush on me, but I was convinced that it was only that - a rumor because who with a little piece of brain would have a crush on me? I've even got scales now. Dyson was also a straight As student, a total opposite of me. I used to be like that, but ever since I started 6th grade, my grades lowered down and my concentration abandoned me.

Melissa and Destiny knew what I felt for him and always teased me about it. Since Dyson and Melissa live in the same street, she was kinda checking the situation for me. You know, that he was girlfriend - free and stuff. He had a girlfriend a couple of months ago, which almost made me explode. I wonder what would happen if I had my powers. I would probably go to her and make her blood explode.

"Good morning, students!" I heard a familiar voice which made me mad every time I heard it - the voice of a biology and chemistry teacher, Zelda Reeds. She was a short and thin woman in her early thirties, but looked at least 22. Her long hair was dark brown and curly. She was clad in green sundress and black high - heels.

As she greeted us, she took her seat and put a black bag she was carrying on her desk. Although she expected us to return the greeting, we never did so. You wonder why? Because she was a terrible teacher. She had to ask someone and give them bad grades almost every damn class we had with her. It was annoying, but who were we to stop her?

"Put all your things into your bag, except for a pencil and eraser", she said.

I noticed Melissa putting her hand up, asking for permission to speak. "What if someone has a mechanical pencil?"

"Obviously she or he will use it to write." Ms. Reeds rolled her eyes. "Any more questions?"

No one said anything. I just had to laugh hard at what Melissa asked her. She was kinda the funny girl of the three of us when we were in school. But at home, she came in second place. I was first.

Ms. Reeds gave everyone their test and took her seat again. I noticed Melissa observing my test, trying to copy something from me, even though she knew I was a total failure for chemistry. And there were also A and B groups, which was stupid because like we would dare to cheat. I rested my head on my left hand, going through all those questions in search for something I might know. And I mean, what the hell? Like I'll ever need formulae for glucose and fructose.

I looked around myself, trying to think of a way to maybe cancel the test. Looking through the window across me, I noticed a big bin of water on the schoolyard. I smirked. A perfect place and a perfect time.

I slightly hit Melissa's arm, getting her attention. On the desk I wrote a note saying 'Wanna play?' and pointed my finger to the water bin. She smiled and nodded, then whispered to my ear: "You know I do."

I put my hand down and slowly waved my hand, making the water from the bin flying out and hitting the window. Melissa then merged her fingers together and the water on the window froze, making the glass explode. Everyone jumped from their seats and screamed, while the two of us did our best trying not to laugh out loud.

"Is everyone okay?" Ms. Reeds asked. Everyone nodded.

"What the hell was that? How did it explode?" asked Illene Peets. She was one of the main and the most popular girls in school. You know, one of that rich, bratty and spoiled kind of people. She was a bit shorter than me, skinny and her short dark brown hair was spiked, with light blue edges. Her brown eyes showed the concern at the moment, which made it even more fun for me. And all that make up on her face actually made her look like a woman - without it she looked like a boy. Literally.

"Yeah, what the hell?" repeated Therese Brown. This was Illene's best friend. A skinny and short, spotted and pale brat that usually pretended to be nice to people and when they most needed her, she turned her back on them. Her wavy, light brown hair was short and her brown eyes were small. She 'pretended' to be pretty with or without make up. I dunno what made her so popular, I believe it was that 'nice' attitude of hers. She looked at her left shoulder, where a small cut and a little bit of blood were. "I got hurt!"

Ms. Reeds picked up a glass fragment and carefully observed it. "It's frozen", she noticed. "Something made it cold and froze it. I believe that's what made it explode. If only I knew a logical explanation for this… I guess I found myself a job for tonight."

Melissa and I almost laughed even more. Destiny turned to us, surely knowing it was us that did it after hearing the word 'frozen'. I expected her to preach us or state her disapproval, but instead she gave us thumbs up and smiled. I think she was finally learning to have some fun, especially now that we have these - pretty useful, if I might add - powers.

I was just about to whisper something to Melissa, when I heard Ms. Reeds saying: "All right, students. Since we were distracted by this unusual event and some of us probably scared to death, I'm informing you that I'm canceling the test. You will be writing it next week during biology."

Everyone started yelling and screaming in joy, celebrating the test canceling. Now there was more time to study, even though no one will actually do that. And you know, I learned something today. Being different has some good qualities. Not everyone can do what you can and it can still be kept a secret.

- H2O -

**Okay, so the girls discovered their powers and used them to cancel the test. Yes, I know that Cleo, Emma and Rikki would never do that, but let's look at this in a more realistic way - if a teenager in real life got powers, do you really think they wouldn't use them to get what they want? And this is just the beginning; you'll see more of things like this later.**

**And I'm uploading fast now because it's weekend, but during the work (school) days, I won't be so fast so I apologize. I am translating this from Croatian so it also takes some time. I'm sorry if there are errors, I'm doing my best to write properly. Sometimes you're just too fast on a keyboard. Please R&R.**


	3. Overcome the Fear

**MELISSA'S POV**

"That thing you did today was so cool!" Yup, that was Destiny saying. Strange, I know. But I guess she finally managed to lose up.

"You better get used to it because you'll be seeing a lot of it", I said. It was the truth, though. Now that I have this power, I'm not just gonna sit and let it rot unused. "Anyway, are you up for a swim?"

"Sure, just let me leave my school things home", May said. We were just going home from school. We were let home earlier because of that 'event' we caused. Pretty cool actually.

Destiny cleared her throat. "I'm not going. You know I can't swim."

"Now is a great chance for you to learn", I said. She's got tail and gills now, even powers. She could learn how to swim in less than two minutes if she tried. But this is Destiny we're talking about.

May nodded. "Yeah. So meet you all at moon pool?"

Destiny stopped. "How would we even get there? We can't go to the beach, people might notice if we dive under and never come back. Some divers might see us too."

Okay, she's got a point here. It was too risky. We all had to think about it for a moment. We couldn't just go to the public beach and disappear. They had to find some place that is safe enough… But which one?

"Beach at my place!" Oh, yeah. Now I remember. A few feet away from May's house is a small beach. The only swimmers there were May and her parents. It seemed like a safe place. Good one, May!

"It's fine with me", I sad.

Destiny nodded. "With me too, I guess…" I noticed a sad look on her face. I think she deep inside knew she had to overcome this fear because it was getting pretty ridiculous. I mean, a mermaid that can't swim and is afraid of water?

- H2O -

As I headed towards the beach, I saw May sitting on her blue towel, already waiting for me. She smiled at me and I waved my hand at her. I put my white towel down and sat on it for a moment, trying to get myself ready for the swim. I mean, it's not every day that you get to swim with a tail.

I observed my surroundings, trying to make sure we were safe. Tall, dark brown rocks surrounded the beach, and on the back side stood a big, two - floored house - May's house. The only danger there were May's parents, but she said her dad was working and her mom was watching a telenovela so I guess we were safe.

"Let's go", I said as I stood up and headed towards the ocean. May followed. Together we dove under the salt water, ready to spend the whole afternoon under it.

I tried to swim faster by moving and waving my hands more often, but as I moved my tail, I found myself a few feet away in less than five seconds. I smiled. Super speed swimming - another ability of mine. I looked around myself and noticed May appearing in front of me, also in super speed. I guess the two of us are handling this pretty well.

May did a salto in the water and swam to the sandy bottom and a wonderful and colorful coral reef. There was a school of fishes swimming around us. I noticed May reaching out for some pretty, little orange fish, but it swam away. I picked up some circle - shaped white shell and showed it to May. She smiled as I threw the shell away and headed towards Ooha'oma.

May and I super swam to Ooha'oma. Noticing a small underwater cave entrance, we entered it and found ourselves in the moon pool. As we dove out, I took a deep breath, while May leaned her arms on the pool's edge and rested her head on them. I turned on my back and enjoyed the feeling of floating on the water surface.

"It's so pretty here."

"Yup, even though I'm kinda scared of the deep", May admitted.

I nodded. I was afraid of the deep myself too, so I could understand that. I never liked unknown places, surrounded by dangerous creatures. That's how deep waters are like - unexplored and a home for many dangerous sea creatures. Closing my eyes, I tried to do my best to keep my mind away from those thoughts. _I hope Destiny will come here and soon learn how to swim._

**DESTINY'S POV**

As I put down my red towel, I approached the shoal and sat on the sand. I moved my knees close to my chest and put my arms around them. I observed the water coming closer and closer to me as it hit the shore so I balled my hand and made it evaporate. The last thing I needed was getting a tail without even being in the water.

I had this great desire to go for a swim, but something inside of me made me back off every damn time I tried. This fear was really starting to get on my nerves. I was a mermaid, for God's sake! What mermaid is afraid of water? That red - haired one from the cartoon was not afraid of it, that blonde from another cartoon was also not afraid and another blonde one from the movie Melissa and May watched was not afraid. The only one that was afraid was me.

I slowly got up and took a step closer to the ocean that shimmered under the sunlight. Then I took another one and another one, until I felt cold water touching my feet. I gulped. In ten seconds I'll grow a tail so really had no time to think about my next move. I ran deeper in the ocean and just as I was about to dive under, I felt my legs being replaced with a tail and fell. I closed my mouth and covered my nose as tight as I could, until I left out the oxygen and dove out on the surface. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

I have no idea what the hell was wrong with me. I was a mermaid – a mermaid! – so there was no way I could drown. I could breathe under water – or at least hold my breath – and what did I do? Dove out in search for more air! I had to overcome this damn fear of my life would be a real hell till I die.

I dove under again, this time without taking a deep breath. I opened my mouth and smiled. There was no feeling of losing oxygen anymore - I felt like I'm on my own place there. I waved my arms and turned to the bottom, trying to swim into the deep. But there was this problem - my tail wouldn't move. After a couple of unsuccessful tried, my tail finally moved and allowed me to swim.

Ooha'oma was too far away for me to swim to. I didn't know how the hell was I supposed to go there swimming this slow. With only one wave of my tail, I suddenly found myself a few meters away from the cave entrance. I glanced at my tail. Maybe as a mermaid I could swim in this super speed? I had no idea what was going on, but it was cool. May and Melissa were right after all - I didn't know what I was missing. All those reefs and sea animals that surrounded me made me feel happy and peaceful.

I swam towards the cave entrance and found myself in the moon pool. At the very sight of me, Melissa and May smiled. I could see how surprised they were to actually see me in water. Hell, I was surprised myself.

"So you can swim now?" May asked.

I nodded and burst into laughter. "Who with a tail like this couldn't?"

**MAY'S POV**

As the bell rang and marked the end of the class, I leaned on the wall in the hallway and yawned. Just 50 more minutes and I'll be somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, swimming with the dolphins. I never actually saw a relevancy of school - sure, I used to like it when I was little, but what good does it teach you? Does is teach you how to love, be a good friend, treat everyone with respect, what the meaning of the life is? No, it doesn't. So why is it so important to go there?

I went back into the classroom and took my seat, doing my best to endure this boredom that grew inside of me. I saw Melissa and Destiny sitting with their faces resting on their hands. At least they found a way to deal with this. Hearing the door open and seeing the person that has entered the classroom, my mood has successfully went up. Dyson walked past my desk and took his seat. He smiled at me, making my cheeks turn dark red.

My eyes immediately fell on that hair and eyes of his. Those hazel eyes, innocent - looking eyes made me fell into trance. If only they watched only me and no one else. Nothing would ever make me that happy. But, I guess I'm destined to be alone. My friends all had boyfriends and I was the only one who hadn't. I was the only one whose lips haven't kissed anyone else's. But it's okay; I learned to live alone so this didn't really bother me. Even the look on people's faces when they find out I've never had a boyfriend before didn't bother me. It was me after all. Me - a loner, secretive and now a mermaid me.

I noticed Melissa raising her head and smiling at me. She probably saw me staring at Dyson and gave me thumbs up, at what I blushed even more and buried my head into my hands. That was so embarrassing.

- H2O -

"When will you ask Dyson to go out with you?" asked Melissa as we awaited for the bell to ring and mark the end of class for today. History teacher talked about something weird and stupid in which no one was interested. Everyone was just too impatient to hear the bell and go home.

"I don't think he likes me. And since when does the girl ask a boy out?" I rolled my eyes. _If_ he liked me, he would've asked me out already. But he constantly ignores me so there was no way that he liked me.

"I've already told you, he likes you! He told me that!" Yeah, yeah, I dunno why, but there was something that made me doubt Melissa's words. He told me numerous of times he admitted to her he liked me, but I never actually believed her. "And this is the 21st century. Everyone asks everyone out now."

Yup, it was 21st century, but for me it seemed so weird for a girl to ask a boy out. And I was usually embarrassed and mute around Dyson anyway. How was I supposed to ask him out if my voice disobeyed me? But Melissa seemed to have a plan. I saw it in her eyes - that devious look was too noticeable to be hidden.

"May, I won't go home with you and Des. I'll take the shortcut."

**MELISSA'S POV**

May and Dyson were so obvious about each other that it had become really annoying lately. She always gives me that speech that he doesn't like her, even though I told her many times that he had admitted to me that he likes her. What, did she not believe me? 'Cause I was telling the truth.

Whenever I had a chance to talk to him, I always used it to talk about May. He always blushed during those talks and several times he admitted that he likes her. But the problem was - he was too embarrassed to ask her out. I tried talking to him, giving him advices and suggestions, but he never seemed to listen to me. But that was about to change right now.

I mostly go home with Destiny and May, but this time I've decided to take a shortcut and walk home with Dyson. Since we live in the same street and the shortcut walk was not so long, I had about 15 minutes to talk some sense into him.

"So, how is it?" I asked him. There had to be a way to start the talk and I think this was appropriate.

"Good", he answered. "It's good. You know, going to school, then home, then to school, then back home, then to school again, then back home and then-"

"Okay, okay, I've got it!" I cut him off. I forgot to mention he had this humorous side of his that could make even the most depressed person cheerful till the rest of their life. But this was supposed to be a serious talk and I was not going to be distracted. I shouldn't be. "Let's talk about May."

"What about her?"

This was going to be a hard part. "Well, you see, she likes you and she was wondering when will you ask her out because this whole thing is getting ridiculous."

"I told you I'm can't do that. I want to, but I need more time."

"You had enough time. Now ask her!"

"I don't think I'll ever ask her. You're too persistent."

"Maybe because it's taking you too long. For God's sake, you're delaying this for four months already. Be a man for once in your life! Tell me, how much do you really care about her?"

"Like a lot. Why?"

"Then _ask her out_!" Man, he was one stubborn boy. Yeah, he was a sweetheart, but a pretty stubborn one.

"Okay, but how?" Now we're getting somewhere.

"I dunno… Call her."

"No way."

"Want me to do it for you?"

"On second thought, I guess I _could_ call her. What's her number?"

I smiled as I gave him her number. This was going to be so cool! May will be so happy. But she can't find out what I did… Not yet. "Okay, so Thursday night you call her and ask her if she's available at Friday. Got it?"

Dyson nodded. "Got it."

- H2O -

**Sorry it was so short. There will be some more short chapters, but there will also be longer ones so stay put. Please R&R and no mean comments, please! I will upload the next chapter after I get reviews. I wanna know if this is actually read by someone. Thank you **

**And sorry if there are any mistakes.**


	4. First Date

**Welcome to chapter 4. Thanks to everyone who reviewed on the last one. Here you go guys, enjoy :)**

**May's POV**

As I entered my living room, I threw myself onto the couch and took my cell phone in my hands, turning on the sound. I found it weird that Melissa asked me to come home from swimming earlier and expect a call. But a call from who exactly? Who would possibly call me? Her mom? Sister? Dad? I did get along pretty well with her family and despite her terrible relationship with her younger sister, Misty and I got along pretty well.

All of a sudden Avril Lavigne's _Girlfriend_ was heard. It was my cell phone ringing. So what? I like that song. It's not like you've never liked some of the 'older' songs. And it's not that old anyway.

I read a caller id and frowned, but in a moment I went pale. It read _Dyson_. Why would he be calling me? He never calls me. I'm usually the one calling him and asking about homework. But if he's calling me means it must be something very important.

I accepted the call and put the cell phone against my ear. "Hello?"

"_Hello, May?" _At the very sound of his voice, I couldn't help but smile and instantly turn mute.

"It… It's me." Well, duh! Thank you, I mean me, Ms. Obvious! "You n - need… Something?"

_N - no. I mean, yes! I actually have to ask you something."_ Okay, this was getting more and more uncomfortable by every second. I could feel it in his voice that he was barely speaking.

It felt my heart beating faster. I could hear it pounding almost as if someone beside leaned on me. Yeah, that's how hard my heart pounded. My arms started shaking. What the hell was wrong with me? The boy just had to ask me something.

"S - say it."

I heard Dyson clearing his throat and taking a deep breath. Whatever he was about to ask me was surely a nightmare for him. _"I was wondering if you would… You know… Want to go out tomorrow night… With me?"_

Tick - tock, my heart beat even stronger now. I widely opened my eyes. For a moment I thought I was just dreaming, but what I heard was real. He asked me out. He finally asked me out. I wanted to yell _yes _with all my heart, but something inside of me made me speechless. I opened my mouth and moved my lips, but there was no voice coming out. I cleared my throat and tried to talk again, but it still didn't work. It was like my glottises were paralyzed.

"_I knew she wouldn't want it"_, I heard Dyson mumbling to himself. I don't think he realized he spoke loud enough for me to hear him.

It was not true that I didn't want to go out with him. I did, but like it was my fault my glottises were frozen. I ran to the kitchen and took a glass of water, thinking it would give me back my voice. I leaned over a glass and as I drank too fast, I somehow moved the glass with my mouth and spilled half of it all over myself. _This is just getting better and better!_

I ran back to the living room, trying to at least get to the couch and lay on it, but ten seconds flew faster than I thought they would and I soon ended up on the floor, hitting it's hardness with all my weight. A sharp pain spread through my arms, tail and stomach. I looked at my tail and rolled my eyes. _Does it really have to come with every damn touch of water?_ I thought to myself.

"_May, are you okay?"_ Shit! Dyson's probably heard me hit the floor and now he's worried. Wait, what? He's worried?

"Yes!" I yelled as loud as I could. My voice came back! I was finally able to accept the invitation. "YES!"

"_Okay, but about my question before…"_ No, he didn't really think I'll refuse to go out with such a cutie?

"I will! Yes!" I repeated. Man, did he not know the meaning of a 'Yes'?

I heard Dyson jumping around his house and yelling, which was making me laugh. I guess he was just as happy as I was. I would've been jumping like that a long time ago, but I had this luck to be stuck on the living room floor until I dry off.

But there was something else I wanted to tell him. "Dyson?"

"_What is it?"_

"I'm really happy you… You know… Asked me."

"_Yeah, about that… I wanted to do it many times but I was, you know… Not brave enough… But you can thank all of this to Melissa. She encouraged me."_ Melissa did this? Melissa told him to ask me out? She did this for me? She helped me? I had to thank her as soon as I see her. She was a big help. And with that I mean a really big one.

"I'll make sure to thank her." You bet I will.

"So when should I pick you up?" Dyson's voice spoke with a fake calmness. I could understand that, I was going crazy inside too.

"How does ten sound to you?" The later the better.

"Sounds fine. See ya then." And with that, he hung up. I haven't even had a chance to say goodbye, but I'll be on a date with him tomorrow night so not saying goodbye was not such a bad thing. And I'll see him at school tomorrow morning anyway.

- H2O -

As I walked through the long hallway, desperately trying to get to my classroom, I noticed Destiny and Melissa standing leaned on its door, talking and laughing about something. _Thank goodness, Melissa is here! I can finally thank her for everything she did in the past few months, especially for that yesterday night._ I ran towards her and without even saying 'hi', I pulled her into a tight hug. She probably hardly even breathed.

"Thank you so much! I knew you'd never fail me! You're my best friend ever!" Okay, I was probably over saying it, but it had to be said. She did her 'job' pretty well and 'thanks' was something she deserved more than anything. I tightened my grip around her even more and I felt her arms trying to break free.

"You're suffocating me!" Okay, it was enough. I instantly pulled my arms back and stepped back. Melissa took a few deep breaths. "And no need to thank me. That's what friends are for."

"I just can't believe it's real! I mean, going on a date with… D! I never could've imagined that to actually come true!" I was speaking loud enough for Melissa and Destiny to hear me, but quiet enough so the whole school doesn't hear me. It's not like everyone had to know Dyson and I are going on a date. Oh, and you may wonder why I call him D. Well, that's because in case someone else heard me, they wouldn't know who I'm talking about. Security issues, got it?

"Congratulations! You just look like you're meant to be." Yup, that was Destiny giving me a compliment. Without hesitation, I took a step closer to her and pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks!"

Destiny nodded and excused herself, entering the classroom. Since it was so early in the morning and she - like me - was not a morning person, she went to take her seat in hope of taking a little nap before the teacher comes. Melissa and I remained in the hallway and talked about the date I will have this night, when suddenly I felt someone's shoulder piping against mine. I looked up at the owner of the shoulder and instantly felt my cheeks turning red.

"Hi, May." It was Dyson. He waved at me as he walked past me, entering the classroom. I blinked to myself and gulped, trying to remain my sanity because he was definitely driving me crazy. I took a few deep breaths and gulped again. No, this was not working. My body was still shaking. My heart still beat fast. I still couldn't breathe normally. But this had to stop! Whenever the hell I'm near him or only hear his voice, stuff like this happens. I wonder if you can die of these kind of things.

I noticed Melissa's eyes inspecting every inch of my body. Man, that girl was weird… Or just worried. Or maybe not. As I gave her a confused look, she burst into laughter and put her arm on my shoulder.

"Up until now I've never realized how much you like him." She was right about that one. I've never realized it myself before either. But, as that famous phrase says, people learn new thing their whole life. This was just the beginning. There were lots of things I didn't know of.

"You have no idea." And she had no.

- H2O -

Standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, I carefully added another layer of pink lip-gloss because the one that was on my lips already didn't look too visible to me. I've already put several layers, but to me nothing looked too good. I guess I was just too picky. I was clad in a short knee - length pink dress and flat olive - green sunshoes. My long bangs were tied into a small pony tail and pulled backwards, while the rest of my hair was loosen up. There was no other makeup on my face - except for a bit of face powder to cover the zits I got in package with my last period and eye shadow used as a blusher - and I kinda liked myself that way. I never liked makeup so I never put it on, except in special occasions and this was definitely one of those.

Hearing the doorbell ringing, I put all the makeup back to the cupboard and headed downstairs to open the door. This was definitely Dyson coming to pick me up. I was so glad he was here and that he was not late. I heard guys are usually late, but this one… This one is special. On my way I grabbed my cell phone and put it around my neck as it hung up the pink stripe.

As I opened the door, I saw Dyson wearing dark jeans ripped on some parts, a light blue T - shirt and white sneakers. His hairstyle was the same as always - the hedgehog style, my favorite ever. He smiled at me and said 'hi' and I turned back the greeting.

"Shall we go?" I asked, barely speaking. I couldn't wait till we go off and enjoy the night, which I preferred over the day since it was peaceful and quiet. At least I thought that way.

"You won't tell your parents you're going?" Oh, yeah. How could I forget that? All the excitement turned me into a monster, I guess.

"Mom! Dad! I'm going!" I yelled as loud as I could, making Dyson cover his ears and smile even more. I guess my voice was just so… Loud?

"Have fun!" I heard them reply. I was one of the lucky people that got nice parents who weren't overprotective and obsessive. They were nice and not too nosy; that being the qualities of great parents. And this was my first date ever. They couldn't forbid me to go. If they did, I would've just sneaked out and problem solved.

- H2O -

Dyson and I picked a random pier café and took a seat right next to the ocean. As I sat down, my eyes instantly glued on the ocean that shimmered under the moonlight. On its smooth surface I could see the waxing moon's reflection. The every look on the ocean made me chill. But I guess I was just paranoid. There was no choice of me getting wet this night. There was no. There just was no!

"Nice, isn't it?" Dyson's voice shook me out of my thoughts. I looked up at him and smiled.

"Yeah, it really is. I like the moon." This was the truth. At the age of four - when I watched Sailor Moon - I became obsessed with astronomy and moon was one of my favorite celestial bodies.

A youngster waiter approached us, ready to take our orders. I ordered a strawberry juice, while Dyson ordered a Coca Cola. The waiter wrote down our orders and in just a couple of minutes our drinks were on our table. He opened our drinks in front of us, sipping them into two big glassed. Dyson took his walled out of his pocket and paid for the drinks, leaving the change to waiter as a tip. The waited thanked us and left.

I looked at the ocean again, this time more concerned than happy. "Maybe we should've sat somewhere further away from the ocean", I muttered to myself.

"What?" Dyson spoke. He probably heard me muttering. Damn it! I should really keep my thoughts inside my head.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking out loud." Thirsty, I was just about to take the glass into my hand when I noticed the drops of juice running down it. I quickly pulled my hand back, avoiding every chance of getting wet. This was my first date and it couldn't get ruined by my secret. It just couldn't.

"Are you okay?" Dyson asked with a dose of concern in his voice. Poor baby, he was worried about me.

"Yup. I'm fine, I just don't like to touch wet glasses." I had to find a perfect lie and this was one of those. He knew perfectly fine I was kinda weird and, well, different than any other girl my age so he wasn't so surprised. "Got a tissue?"

Dyson took the tissue pack out of his jeans pocket and took one tissue out, drying out the glass. "Better?"

I smiled as I took the sip. "Much better."

Dyson nodded and slowly moved his chair closer to mine. He started leaning over to me, making me blush and almost faint. This was it! My first kiss was just about to happen and he was making a move on his own for the first damn time! My body went crazy again, but this time I was - like a statue - unable to move. But, as one of that guy's that we learned about on history says, what can end bad, will end bad.

As Dyson leaned over to me trying to kiss me, he accidentally turned over the glass with his hand. All the remaining strawberry juice ended up in my lap. I gulped out of shock, not knowing what to do or say. That exact moment I got up and ran as further away from the café as possible, trying to find a good place to hide. Noticing there was no one around me to see me, I put my cell phone down and jumped into the ocean, diving under its sparkling surface. Waving my tail, in a moment I disappeared into the deeps of the great ocean. I just had to be alone.

- H2O -

Diving out in the moon pool, I leaned my arms onto the pool's edge and rested my head on them. I felt bitter tears running down my face and instantly started sobbing and crying out loud. Yes, I cried. I cried because it was my first date, and with the boy I love like I've never loved anyone before. I mean, it was supposed to be my first date. My secret ruined it; it ruined the first kiss I was just about to receive.

Despite my endless love for my secret, I loved that boy more than anything. Even more than my powers. Yes, I know what you will say; that I'm just a teenager that knows nothing about love. Well guess what; teenagers can love too and they're hurt too when something ruins their romantic moment.

At least I left my cell phone o the pier, hoping Dyson would find it and bring it back to me so we can talk. There was this option of someone stealing it, but I just wanted to think positive for the first time in my life. If he ever wants to talk to me again, I'll try to think something up to tell him why I ran away. And if we go out again and something like this happens, I'll think some other lie. And then what will my life turn into? Lies? Secrets? I couldn't take it anymore. There had to be someone girls and I could share our secret with. If this thing with Dyson continues, then he will be that _someone_. Maybe.

- H2O -

Walking through the park, I searched for a bench Dyson was sitting on. I told Destiny and Melissa about the date incident and they were worried - which was reasonable, of course. Melissa offered to ask him to give me a chance to explain and he accepted. They agreed he'll wait for me in the park around three. I felt bad that she had to do me a favor again. She's already done too much and I felt like a real bitch asking her for a favor again.

At the very sight of Dyson, my arms instantly started trembling. I gulped and took a deep breath. This was it - now or never. Approaching the bench he sat on, I greeted him and sat beside me. He returned the greeting and took my cell phone out of his pocket, handing it over to me.

"Thanks, Dyson", I said so quiet that I wasn't really sure he heard me. But he has.

"Sure." He smiled, making me smile too. But then his warm smile faded in a second. "Why did you run away yesterday?"

Not knowing what to say, I leaned my head down. What was I supposed to say? 'I ran away because if I didn't, you and everyone else at the café would find out I'm a fish'. Yeah, that's the most wanted excuse. Even though I thought about telling him once, now I doubted. He was a straight A student and was very interested in science. His parents even got him his own lab at home. It was not really my intention to become his science project.

"I was just a bit nervous…" This was half a lie. I was nervous, but not just a bit, but like a lot! "Sorry, I'll try not to repeat it. It's just… I'm not really experienced and this is all new to me and-"

I would probably continue rambling like a half an hour or something, but Dyson cut me off by leaning over to me and pulling me closer to him. Our lips merged into a gentle and long kiss - my first kiss. As he pulled his lips away, he smiled at me again and put him arm on my shoulder.

"First kiss?"

I blushed, but my heart beat fast. It was kinda hard to admit that I've got my first kiss just now, when all the people my age were already more than experienced in stuff like this. "I'm not really a social type of person."

Dyson smiled. "That's one of the things I like about you. You up for a swim?"

I instantly gulped and shook my head. "Maybe some other time."

"I have a feeling that you're hiding something from me."

Oh, crap! I was certainly not ready to tell him yet, one of the reasons being that he's a wannabe scientist. "There is something, but I'm not ready yet. It's still early."

"Then tell me when you think is the best time for ti."

- H2O -

**I have to say that this chapter means a lot to me. I was supposed to be with this boy, but he never asked me. My friend tried to set us up, but it didn't work out. I was too shy and he was too shy. And now he's got a new girlfriend. I'm sad because of it because I don't think he knows what he's lost. I'm a bit disappointed in him, but also in myself because I think I should've been a bit more courageous. But this is not about me. I just had to write it and let someone know how I feel. And at least I wanted to make my character have a happy love life because if she's happy, I'll be happy too. Dyson is based on that boy so most of his personality is from my real life crush.**

**Please R&R :)**

**Oh, and BIG thanks to my friend who tried to set us up even though she does not have internet connection. The nickname I gave her is Minako (she's not Japanese). So thanks a lot, Minako! Love ya. Melissa's based on you because of your kindness!**


	5. This Is Me

**Big thanks to everyone who reviewed! Jniems, the answer to your question is in this chapter. Enjoy everyone!**

**Melissa's POV**

Running outside my house, I looked around myself and, noticing no one was around me, I jumped off the pier and dove under the ocean. I swam in super speed all the way to the beach at May's place, where she and Destiny would be waiting for me. We agreed to go for a swim this afternoon and there was nothing that could stop us; it was the weekend, meaning no school and definitely no homework.

Reaching the shoal, I dove out on the surface and crawled towards the shore. Seeing Destiny sitting on the sand, I waved at her and called out her name. She smiled at me and ran towards me, but was careful enough not to get into wet.

"Where's May?" I asked. She was supposed to be there. We did agree to swim together… All three of us.

"She's watching CSI online. There's about twenty minutes left till the episode ends. She said she'll meet us at Ooha'oma." Great, so now her awesomest show is more important than our deal. But it's not like we were helpless without her.

"Let's go then", I said, nodding. If there was something I wanted more than ever that moment, it was that swimming.

Destiny nodded and quickly got into the water. The two of us waved our tails and in just a few seconds, we found ourselves in the middle of the ocean. This was going to be a fun swim.

**May's POV**

As the CSI episode ended, I took my towel and headed towards the beach. It was actually a pretty good episode, with lots of hotties. Don't get me wrong, I'm not some boy - crazy fangirl, but I had to admit that CSI's always full of hotties!

Putting the towel down on the sand I headed towards the shoal, ready to finally get that swim with my friends I waited for the whole day. I was just about to step into the water, when I heard a familiar voice calling for me. Glancing at the right side, I saw Dyson sitting on the high rock and smiling at me. Good thing he called me before I went swimming. Only hell knows what he'd thought about what happened.

He called me to come over to him. I obeyed and sat right next to him. He out his arm around my neck and kissed my cheek.

"How have you been?" he asked and gave me one of him sweetest smiled that almost made me melt on the spot.

"Well… I've been fine."

"I see you were going for a swim." His eyes inspected every inch of my body - I think he liked the way I liked in my swimsuit for some reason. He couldn't take his eyes off my boobs though.

Making me feel uncomfortable, I crossed my arms on my chest, covering my boobs. Dyson blushed and pointed his look towards the ocean. "Sorry about that." The way he said that made me forgive him in a second. Especially after I heard the reason he's here. "I came to ask for another date. I mean, the one a week ago ended up pretty bad so I thought we should repeat it and make it better.

I smiled. "Sure! Can we go tonight?" Yup, I was so excited that I wanted to go out with him this very second, not tonight. But I knew it was not that simple. That very moment I wanted to burry myself into his chest and kiss him till he suffocates.

Dyson leaned over to me and kissed me on the lips. I couldn't help but smile. I just wished he'd ask me to be his girlfriend. I mean, I've been waiting for this dates since 5th grade and I thought it would be appropriate if we could be a couple. I noticed his eyes staring deeply into mine, but his look soon ended up on my boobs again. He cleared his throat and looked up at the sky.

"Wanna go swimming with me?" Oh, no! That was the question I wanted to avoid this whole time. What was I supposed to say? 'Yeah, sure. You should see my tail, it looks so awesome! Yeah, have a tail. You haven't known that?

"Actually, when I think about it, I'm gonna go inside and take a nap. I think I'm getting a headache because of this sun." The sun's rays were pointed exactly at my head, blocking my view on the ocean. I think it was understandable that I would get a headache, even thought I haven't got it. "Well, gotta go. Bye!"

I slowly got up on my feet and headed back, when I suddenly tripped over a rock and fell onto the hard rock, rolling over it and falling into the ocean. I felt a sharp pain all over my body, but falling into the ocean made my pain a little less painful. At least I haven't hurt my head, or else I would've already been in the hospital.

Reaching the bottom, I grabbed an underwater rock and watched my legs as they turned into fish's tail. Again, my secret ruined my meeting with the boy I love and it was already getting too ridiculous! I mean, can't I have just one day with him without it being ruined by my secret? I couldn't let him see me like this, at least not now. I was not ready yet. I was just about to swim towards Ooha'oma, when I heard a blurry sound of someone calling out my name. Then there was this splash and my whole world trembled down.

In a matter of seconds I was there, face to face with those brown eyes that looked so surprised, yet scared. Dyson blankly stared at me, observing my gills, scales and tail. Oh, no! What am I going to do?

**Destiny's POV**

I never thought I'd say this, but I actually quite enjoyed swimming between all those tropical fishes and corals. I saw a few underwater rocks and swam around them, observing many starfishes lying there peacefully. I noticed Melissa waving at me and showing me a circle - shaped pinkish shell she's found. I waved her back and picked up a starfish and showed her to see it. She gave me thumbs up and made her way towards Ooha'oma. I wonder what kept May so busy. She doesn't know what she's missing.

- H2O -

After a couple of minutes of speed swimming, Melissa and I dove out in the moon pool and took a deep breath. Yup, you guessed it - we raced. Who won? I have no idea, but just to provoke Mel, I'll say it was me.

"I so nailed you."

"No way! You were like two meters behind me", Melissa provoked back. We both burst into laughter. We enjoyed having this kind of arguments. It always made us laugh even in hardest moments.

"Up for another round?"

"I think we should wait for May. She could be here any minute. I don't want her to think we left her." I wouldn't want to be left like that myself, so I thought it would be nice to wait for May to get here before we actually go somewhere. If May comes here and does not find us, she could get worried of angry at us. But of course, Melissa had to use her big tongue to irritate me.

"Scared of losing?" What the hell did that mean? I was surely not going to let it go that easy and she knew that. She just knew my weak spot and used it pretty damn well.

"In your dreams. Let's go!" I'm gonna nail her this time for sure.

**May's POV**

As I stared into Dyson's scared eyes, I gave him a sad look and let out a few tears. This was not happening, no! This couldn't be happening! He couldn't find out my secret! He couldn't and shouldn't! Blinking a few times to make myself believe this was real, I dove out, followed by Dyson.

Once above the water surface, I gave Dyson another sad and scared look and he returned it. My hands were shaking and my heart beat fast, really fast - but this time it was not because I was uncomfortable and in love, but because I was scared. I was scared for myself and my secret. What if he tells everyone? What if he wants to use me as a test subject? What would I do then? Attack him with my powers? Hurt him? Kill him?

"Are you afraid of me?" Those words just came out of my mouth in a form of mumbling. I didn't really think he heard me, but the fact was - he did hear me!

"No." That made me look up at him. His smile was on his face again, but this time it looked fake. Too fake. Who was he trying to fool anyway? "But we have to get out"

"I agree."

- H2O -

"So you became a mermaid after trying to come out of that sea cave on Ooha'oma?" I told Dyson everything about me. He knew so there was no need to keep it a secret anymore. He was trying to understand everything and it went too slow, which surprised me since his computer brain mostly absorbs information like a sponge.

I nodded, but I was not really sure about it. Maybe I became a mermaid for some other reason or way? But this sounded the most logical. "At least I think I did. I dunno, I'm not really sure." I pulled my tail closer to my chest and put my arms around it, resting my head on it. I felt a river of tears running down my cheeks; they were out of control and I was unable to stop them. I guess I was just too emotive. "Now you probably don't want to go out with me. You probably don't ever wanna see me again. You must think I'm a freak."

If I was him, that's exactly what I would've thought at first. I mean, seeing a creature you thought only exists in myths wouldn't be something you see every day. But to my own surprise, Dyson smiled and put him hand on my shoulder. I felt the warmness of it and instantly faced his eyes.

"I would never do that." He wiped away my tears and gave me one of his warmest smile. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Really?"

"Really." Those words of his made me feel so safe and protected; I've never felt that way in my entire life. I had this great desire to crush my house by jumping in it, but had to restrain myself from doing it.

I tightened my grip around my tail as it became a bit cold as sun went down. Great! Now I'll never dry out!

"You feeling cold?" Without waiting for me to answer, Dyson put his arms around me and kissed my lips. I was not cold anymore, quite the opposite actually - I was hot. Too hot.

"This has to be a secret. No one else can know." I think this was a reasonable thing to ask for. It's not like he could go around the city, yelling put loud that I'm a mermaid.

"Your secret's safe with me. You have my word." We both burst into laughter, until he became serious again. "Do… You know… Wanna be my… Girlfriend?"

I smiled. Finally that question I waited for so long! And finally I was going to confirm it. "Yes, I do." I kissed his lips. "I kinda like these kisses."

"You can have them whenever you want. I promise."

- H2O -

An hour almost passed as Dyson and I still sat on the same spot, watching the sunset. I was almost dry and it needed at least ten more minutes for my tail to disappear. Dyson and I were kissing again, but this kiss was long and delicious. Suddenly, a laughter interrupted us and made us point out look towards the sparkling ocean.

Destiny and Melissa looked at us, obviously surprised by what they saw. The look of shock on their faces was too obvious to not to be noticed. Dyson noticed them and I could tell he was just as surprised as they were.

"They too?"

I nodded. "They too." Looking at my friends, I waved at them and yelled: "It's okay, he knows!"

Mel and Des crawled to the shore, where Destiny balled her fish and with her power dried them both off. She then headed towards me, wanting to dry me off too.

"How did you do that?" Dyson asked, surprised. There were way too much things he found out today.

"Power", Destiny replied as she dried me of. "I can boil water."

"Melissa and I have powers too." I just had to make a confession. It felt so great to be able to actually tell someone the truth about myself. "Come here, we'll show you."

The four of us approached the shoal. I could see Dyson's impatient expression. He was so interested in this, I just knew it. I raised my hand and waved it from left to right, creating and levitating a small ball of water. I pulled it to myself and made it fly towards Dyson. He raised his hand and touched the water ball with his finger, immediately pulling it back.

"I can levitate and move water", I said with a smile.

Melissa raised her hand, ready to use her power. "Do not touch that ball till I'm done, Dyson. You could lose your finger and I'm sure you don't want that", she said as she put her hand up and the water ball instantly turned into an ice ball. "As you see, I can freeze water."

Dyson started to laugh; I dunno if it was out of joy or excitement or a mix of both. "This was so cool!"

"I know", I said, as I threw the ice ball into the ocean. I guess things will change from now on - to the better, I hope.

- H2O -

**So Dyson knows now and he accepts it well. What'll happen next? Find out soon in the next episode of H2O! Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. Please R&R :)**


	6. Once There Were Three

**Thanks for the reviews, everyone! A special thanks to CheddarFetta ;) Here's the new chapp!**

**Melissa's POV**

I nervously walked in circle around my living room, trying to hide the uncomfortable feeling that just wouldn't stop bugging me. I noticed Destiny and May giving me strange looks, after which May yelled at me to stop annoying her. It was not my fault I was so nervous in situations like this. But what situations, you might ask?

My grandma's coming to visit today. She lived at the other part of the city and just recently moved around here so she decided to visit. I haven't seen her in years and I wonder if she stayed the same, goofy grandma as she was five years ago. I heard people her age become grumpy as the time goes on so I hope it's not the case with her.

I started walking in circle again, and then stood in front of the mirror to check my looks. I had to make sure my white sundress and flip - flops looked good with my makeup and that my makeup and hair weren't ruined. I mean, what would grandma think if I appear in front of her looking like I fell out of a tornado or something? But once again I got preached by May.

"For hell's sake, Melissa! It's your grandma coming, not the US president! Stay away from the mirror and sit the hell down!" What the hell was her problem? I mean, I know she and Destiny weren't nervous in situations like this, but it was their life and this was mine. I had every right to be nervous, especially because… I heard that famous ding - dong. Oh, no! Grandma's here already!

I ran towards the door and as I opened it, I saw a short and tanned chubby woman - my grandma, Rose Tanner. Her hair was long and dark brown; the same color were her eyes. She wore black pants, white blouse and black high - heeled shoes. She held a small, brown purse in her left hand.

"Grandma!" I yelled as I pulled her into a hug.

She out her free hand around me and smiled at me. "You grew so much since the last time I've seen you. I can barely recognize you. I bet Mist Marciana looks older too."

I couldn't help but laugh at the sound of Misty's full name. I don't know what the hell were my parents thinking when they named her like that. I mean, Mist Marciana? Sounds like a name for a wedding cake. I'm just glad they were nice enough to give me a normal and only one name. And I wouldn't be so sure about that looking older thing. If you ask me, Misty stayed the same little brat she always was. But who asks me anyway?

"Misty's still that little twerp she was five years ago." I just had to say that. And to my surprise, instead of scolding me, grandma actually smiled.

"Ha - ha, very funny. You should win a prize for the best joke ever, Melella." Yup, that sarcasm and a weird - only funny to her - nickname meant only one thing - Misty's here. I mean, Mist Marciana. "Have you gotten anything for me, granny?"

"Misty!" I warned her. Grandma just got here and the first thing she asks her in five year is 'Have you gotten anything for me?' I really wonder are we even related. Some kind of mistake must've been made at the hospital and my real sister was given to monsters whose baby ended up here, in my house. I hope to solve that mystery once.

I noticed grandma just waving her hand, showing me nothing's wrong. For such an old woman, she really had a lot of toleration towards brats. "It's okay, it's okay, girls. I've got something for each of you."

I smiled and led grandma into the living room, with the intention of getting her to meet my friends. As she got her present - a Miley Cyrus newest CD - Misty went outside to play volleyball with the wall and also wait till my parents get home from work so we can all have lunch together.

"These are my friends, grandma", I said as I pointed my hand towards Destiny and May. "This is May Seward", I introduced, as grandma stretched her arm and shook May's hand. I noticed grandma giving weird looks to May, who retaliated. I wonder what the hell was going on. But as grandma released May's hand, they both smiled at each other. Phew! At least now I can introduce Des. "And this is Destiny Bain."

"Nice to meet you, both of you", grandma said as she shook Destiny's hand. There were those looks again, but this time between grandma and Des. What the hell was wrong? Did any of them do something? Well, I guess we should wait till lunch so everyone can calm down a bit. No one has eaten anything yet and since everyone was hungry, things like this strange looks happened. At least I hope it was that reason.

- H2O -

"And then I hit him with my purse and he fell down and almost fainted. The police was surprised about my courage. They even said it's a great thing a woman knows how to defend herself." This was grandma telling us the story - again - how when she was around my age and some guy tried to rob her, she disabled him with a purse. I personally never actually believed it was the whole truth, there must've been something more… But what? Or was that my imagination making me think crazy things? But anyway, I can't believe my parents still laughed at that story. It was old and even though my favorite grandma was telling it, it became boring after hearing it for more than thousand times.

"So, grandma… How much money do I get this time?" Yup, you guessed it. It was Misty asking this. But luckily, there was mom to warn her instead of me doing it this time.

"Misty!"

"Sorry."

Grandma just laughed at my sister's question. I never heard her warning or scolding my sister when she was an idiot - quite the opposite, grandma always acted cool even in the worst situations.

"Melella, would you mind passing me a salt?" Yup, there was this nickname again. And I was not about to let her get away with this.

"I actually would mind, Mist Marciana." Revenge, my sweet, sweet revenge. I could almost see sparks in Misty's eyes when she heard how I called her.

"Just you provoke, Melella, you're dead when we're home alone." Did she just threaten me with death? She? An eleven - year old punk threatened me? How dares she?

"Ooh, I can't wait", I retaliated. I saw Misty drinking her orange juice and saw a perfect chance to get even. I smirked as I put my hand on my lap did a stop - sign thingy, freezing Misty's tongue against the edge of the glass. She screamed, making my parents surround her and try to calm her down.

"It froze", my mom said as she and dad slowly started rubbing the glass, making it warm to melt the ice.

At the sound of the word 'froze', May and Destiny gave me a smirk and nodded. I could see they liked it. I've also got the look from grandma, but hers was not approving, but somewhat worried. Did she know something about my powers?

**Dyson's POV**

As I parked my small, white motorboat on the beach and made sure it's safe, I took the black bag that contained my equipment and found my way into the woods. Walking between high grass and thick - grown trees gave me some cuts and insect bites, but it was all worth the purpose. The girls told me about the moon pool on Ooha'oma and gave me a close description of where to go look for the cave entrance so I - as a future scientist - decided to investigate and do a little research about that place.

Once I reached the rocks, I checked out almost every single one of them, trying to locate the cave entrance. 'Long, dark and when you glide down you get the feeling like you're on a toboggan' was the only description given to me about it. What if I accidentally got into the wrong cave? I've seen some small ones, but what if there were some big ones and I got stuck into them? Then what would happen? How would I ever get out?

Looking under one of the rocks next to a small waterfall, I noticed a cave entrance very much alike the one the girls described to me. I threw my bag down first, then got into it myself. Gliding down, I could feel the smoothness of the rock I was on. I guess nature did many wonders by creating this. But all the joy disappeared once I reached the bottom. I hit the hard ground so hard I yelled out loud like some kind of a girl. Good thing no one was there to hear me.

After gathering the pieces of myself together again, I glanced at the crystal blue pool or water that stood in front of me. Although I'm a very manly guy, I gotta admit it looked beautiful. I grabbed my bag and approached the pool, putting my fingers into it. The water felt cold and kind of refreshing. I smiled. Maybe this very water will reveal to me the secret of the girls being mermaids.

I took a few test tubes out of my bag and took water samples in each one of them. Then I took samples of the rocks and everything I could find in that cave; I even took my clothes off, being dressed only in my blue swimming shorts, and dove under the water to the bottom to take the sample of it. I found some shells and fossils of animals dead for hundreds of yours ago and bagged them too. If it could help solving the mystery, then it's welcome in my home lab.

Once I took everything I needed, I was ready to go back home and analyze what I've found, but there was only one problem... How to get out of the cave the way I got in?

**Melissa's POV**

As Misty's tongue was finally freed, we continued our lunch as peacefully as it was possible. Mom gave Misty a lecture not to put so much ice in her drinks and not to drink them when they're too cold. He - he, if they only knew the truth of who was actually behind it. Grandma kept giving me weird looks, while May and Destiny laughed at the incident between themselves.

"I would suggest you two get involved and try to stop fights between these two girls", grandma said, looking at my parents, "Because it's not really fair that Melissa always has to cool things down. Right, sweetheart?"

This time she pointed her look at me. I instantly froze. Did she know something about me? Or about my mermaidness or my powers? Or maybe about both? Was this some kind of a secret message that she is perfectly aware of who I am?

Destiny and Melissa gave me a concerned look, me retaliating it. I can't say I wasn't concerned, I was, deeply. What if grandma knew and told my parents? Or everyone? My life would be ruined once and for all.

"I guess…" I muttered the answer. Grandma just smiled as she continued:

"But it's okay; if things get too cold, Destiny can always heat them up. Am I telling the truth?"

Destiny gulped and shook her head. "I'm not really into… That sort of things."

Grandma smiled. "Oh, it's alright, dear. Don't be sky. Everyone here understands." But this was not the end of grandma's crazy talks. "And have I told you that I used to surf? No? Well, you see, you have to wait for the right wave to come. If it doesn't, then you just ask the water for help. Isn't it right, May?"

May's eyes went wide open as she shook her head. "I wouldn't know… I don't surf; it's not really my thing. I'm more into computers."

Grandma just kept smiling. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, dear. You and Destiny and my grandchild know it. It's okay to tell the truth."

"Okay, I admit it! I lied! I think it's time to come clean", May said as she raised her hand. She was not going to spoil our secret, was she? But, as I looked at her expression, I had to agree that she looked quite ready to spill everything out. No, no way. No! She can't do that, no! She can't tell everyone. This was just wrong! How can she betray us like this? "I'm allergic to algae." What the hell? Since when was she allergic to algae? And what kind of crap was this? She scared the hell out of me!

I noticed Destiny bursting into laughter as she buried her head in her hands. Misty, my parents and I continued giving May weird looks, while grandma just curved her lips into a slight smile.

"I used to use that kind of excuses when I was your age." Okay, that does it! Grandma and the girls and I definitely had to talk! Right now!

"Grandma, why don't we go to my room? I have to show you something. I wrote you a poem." This was a lame excuse, I know, but what else was I supposed to say? 'Grandma, let's go to my room to talk about mermaids because Destiny, May and I are ones and I suspect that you know something about it.'

Grandma nodded. "Very well, dear. As you wish."

- H2O -

"Okay, grandma, what do you know?" As we entered my room and locked the door behind us, I immediately got to the thing. I had to know what she knew or I would go crazy.

"Be specific, my dear. I know a lot of things. I don't think we have enough time for me to tell you everything." Why did she have to do this every damn time I asked her something? It was really becoming more and more annoying. I was about to answer in short, just to question how much does she know, but May was here - as usual - to _hurry _the things up.

"Do you know we're mermaids?" Oh, that's just great May. That's just great! Way to go, girl. Come one, tell everyone _everything_. I'm sure the rest of the Honolulu would be glad to hear our secret from you.

Destiny and I gave May warning looks, but she just shrugged. Grandma smiled. "Of course I do."

Okay, this was totally unexpected. She already knew about us? Could that be the reason she moved in this part of the town? To help us out? She explained right away anyway.

"I was on Ooha'oma when I saw you three girls exploring the island. I saw you, May, fall into the hole and Melissa and Destiny going after you. It awoke old memories that are hidden deep within my heart. Anyway, the next thing I know was the moon going on the top of the volcano and you three diving our. I immediately suspected you might have _changed_, so I wanted till next morning to find out. And guess what? My suspicions came true - you became mermaids and I guess you soon found your powers."

"So wait, you saw us?" I asked, still in shock. She actually spied on us. How rude!

"Yup. Almost every full moon I go to Ooha'oma to observe it under the moonlight." So weird. Grandma is such a weirdo!

"You said it awoke your old memories… Does that mean you were a mermaid too?" Good question, May. A really good one. Granny had to explain this part

"Yes, I was", grandma confirmed. My friends and I exchanged weird looks. I could see that the very same question bugged all three of us: 'Is grandma still a mermaid?' She did say she used to be, but there is no way you can stop being a mermaid. Right? "But I had to give it up for the sake of myself and my friend."

"You can do that?" Why was I not surprised that Destiny was the one who asked this?

Grandma just nodded. "Only at special nights."

I frowned. I kind of had a hunch this was going to be a long story.

**Rose's POV**

Observing these three girls, I couldn't help but notice they still have a lot to learn about their powers and magic itself. They maybe think it's fun and everything -and they're right about that part - but it's also a big responsibility of theirs. If someone got hurt by their powers, they had to be aware that they are the ones who caused it, not their powers, how teenagers these days would justify it. If they got exposed, they had to learn how to deal with it without someone ending up killed - also a new method of these days' teenagers. But maybe they just needed to hear my story. What happened to me will maybe make them think twice before they do something involving magic in public.

"Girls, I think it's time for you to hear my story", I said, getting their attention again. It was time for it and all they needed to do was to stay quiet and listen carefully to what I have to say.

"Then speak, grandma." I knew my dear Melissa enough to already know she'll say something like this. But what needed to be told needed to be told and now was the right time.

"All this what you girls survive makes me feel nostalgic towards the old days when my friends and me did fun stuff with our magic. I still remember that day that made us different like it was yesterday…"

_One of my two best friends, Jessica Moss, ran away from home after an argument with her mother and it was my task as her friend to go search for her. I, together with my other friend, Kate Woodson - a tall and thin black haired, light tanned and blue eyed girl - saw Jessie taking her brother's boat and heading towards Ooha'oma. Having no other choice, Kate and I borrowed my boyfriend's boat and went after her._

"_Jessie, where are you? Jessie!" we yelled as we walked through the forests of an uninhabited island. As we got deeper and deeper into the forest, the sun started slowly disappearing and letting the night's darkness surround us. Soon our only light source and guide was the full moon that that shone above us._

"_Jessica! I know you can hear us! Get over here right now and stop playing smart with us!" As much as I was patient Kate was just as inpatient. Things always had to go fast with her, which could come in handy sometimes. But in times like that it totally did not come in handy. If Jessie heard her, she would only run away even more and would maybe be angry at us too._

"_Get me out of here!" Kate and I immediately stopped walking as we heard a quiet sound of that familiar, strong voice. Jessie was somewhere nearby and was definitely in trouble._

_Kate and I saw rocks in front of us and we climbed onto them in order for us to find our friend. We called for her many times, but I don't think she heard us. Suddenly I tripped over a small rock and fell into a cave hidden deep within the rocks. Hitting the hard ground, I let out a shriek of pain, but quickly pulled myself together when I saw those familiar big green eyes staring at me. And with the eyes came long blonde curls, tanned skin, long legs and tall body of a slightly chubby girl._

"_Jessie, you're here!" I immediately pulled my friend into a hug, causing her to do something she hated the most in this world - to laugh._

_"I'm fine, I'm fine. But how do we get out of here? I tried to climb up, but it's too slippery. Must be yesterday's rain." Jessie had a point there. We had no way of getting out. Wait, we did actually! Kate could always help us! But after hearing the sound of a body crashing the rocky ground, I had to tell myself to never mind that option and try to figure out a new one._

_"Kate, you were supposed to stay up and help us get out!" Jessie said harshly. Kate rolled her eyes and gave her a threatening look._

_"I see it's a thanks I get for coming all the way here to look for you", Kate fought back. She and Jessie always had these kind of arguments. I was the one that usually stayed 'cool'. I had no idea it would become literal in just a few hours._

_Embarrassed, Jessie blushed and pointed her look towards a cave pool behind us. It shone almost like the moon and made the whole cave light and gave me a feeling of protectiveness. "Then let's just swim out."_

_I nodded and took Jessie's hand, while Kate just stared at her angrily. Jessie could sometimes be a real pain in the butt, but deep down she was a good person. You just had to get to know her. As I gave Kate a look that told her to come with us, she muttered 'Fine!' under her breath and took my other hand. Together, the three of us jumped into the pool, finding ourselves in that beautiful, crystal clear water. Suddenly, that very same water started to bubble and golden sparkles began to fly towards the sky. The moon was directly above the top of the pool. This whole scene couldn't be described any differently but magical._

"_Okay, what was that?" asked Kate._

_I giggled. "I don't know, but it was pretty cool."_

"_Try better with creepy", Jessie added._

"So you became mermaids only because your friend ran away from home and you followed her?" my granddaughter asked as I finished my story. I nodded.

"Exactly. Now this was only the beginning. You still need to hear how it all ended with our magic." This was going to be had to tell, I just knew it. It will be like living those awful moments again after all these years I tried to forget them. But I guess it's okay if I suffer if it'll help these girls and make them learn a valuable lesson.

**Dyson's POV**

After I barely made it out of that sea cave, I immediately boarded my boat and headed to my home lab. Making sure the door behind me was locked, I took out all the samples, ready to test them. This required lots of work and time and somehow I knew this was going to be a long day. But what needed to be done, needed to be done and there was no help - I was the only one that could at least try help those girls, one of them being my girlfriend.

**Rose's POV**

"Why did it end? Will our magic end one day too? Will we become ordinary again? Will our powers disappear? I don't want that to happen. Is there a way to avoid it?" So many questions my dear Melissa had. And there were as many answers and I was willing to tell them, but... There's time for all.

"Patience, my dear, you want to hear this. You really do."

_With great sadness in my eyes I watched my reflection in the moon pool's water. Kate held my hand tightly and I could feel her tightening her grip of my hand every second. I could see a tear streaming down her face. She didn't even bother to wipe it away. I could understand that. What we were about to do wasn't really the awesomest thing in the world, but it's not like we had a choice._

_Hearing the strong male voices coming from outside, I checked my watch that almost showed midnight and then looked at Kate, nodding. She nodded back and just as we were about to jump into the moon pool, four male figures appeared behind us, giving us threatening looks. All of them were muscular and tall, with tanned skin and dark hair; with the exception of a guy whose hair was blonde. And that same blonde was the ex love of my dearest Kate - it was her dear ex boyfriend, Adrian Stokes. That sweetheart was actually sweet, until Kate admitted to him that she was a mermaid. That's when all the trouble began._

_Adrian was surprised at first, then angry at Kate for not telling him earlier, even though they dated for 2 years at the time he found out. He told everyone about us, but no one believed him but his buddies. So, one day he decided to catch us and earn some money by exposing us to the scientists. Adrian gathered his buddies and together with them went after us all the way to Ooha'oma. But what he didn't know was that we weren't some powerless sweetheart he thought we were._

"_We're sick of your constant bugging, Adrian", I said in a cold, threatening voice. Kate and I were half moonstruck - meaning controlled by the moon - at that moment, but with three years of being mermaids we kind of learned how to at least keep a tiny bit of conscience. The other half was owned by the moon._

_Adrian just laughed at my words. "And what are you going to do? Kill us?"_

_That actually seemed like a good idea with us being moonstruck and the moon told us to do so, but we did our best to resist that deed. We would only get in more trouble if we killed someone. But temptation was too big and we just had to do something to at least make ourselves satisfied at the moment._

"_Maybe", Kate said as she raised her hand, pointing it towards Adrian. "I really thought we had something, but obviously I was wrong." She slowly clenched her fingers, making Adrian scream in pain. A big and hurtful burn spread through his whole right arm. There was steam coming out of his skin. Kate burned his arm._

"_You bitch! Stop it!" Adrian ordered and turned to his buddies. "What the hell are you waiting for? Go grab them!"_

_But they weren't so brave he thought they were. They knew what their destiny would be if they tried anything at us, so they just climbed up the entrance of the cave and ran away. Adrian looked hurt and defeated that they had left. He must've felt betrayed by his own friends after they had left. But that didn't stop Kate and me to laugh directly into his face._

"_What's with the name calling? Don't you want it to stop?" Kate asked. Her fist was now balled, while Adrian's arm was almost on fire - literally._

_I took Kate's hand, eye - signalizing her to stop. She put her hand down, opening her fist. Adrian let out a sigh of relief. Poor guy probably thought it was the end, but he had no idea what I was about to do to him - which was something my normal self would never do on purpose to anyone, not even my worst enemy._

_I raised my hand, making it look like a stop sign and looked at Adrian. Observing his burned hand being covered with ice, I smirked. "Better now?"_

"_You bitches! You'll pay for this!" Threatening, weren't we? The next thing I did maybe made him realize that by calling us names would only bring him more trouble._

_I pulled my hand back, then raised it again. Adrian's frozen hand exploded into hundreds of pieces of frozen skin and bones. He let out a loud shriek of pain, before glaring at Kate and me and taking a big step back, leaning on the cave's stone wall._

"_I'll make you pay for this, I swear." Again he with the threats. At least he didn't use any ugly nickname for us this time._

_Kate and I laughed at him until the moon came over the top of the volcano. Our laughter faded away as we watched the moon pool water bubbling like it does every time the moon's above it. But this time was different - this full moon was special. So special it took away all the magic it gave. And by that I mean mermaid powers. Kate and my mermaid powers. Because of the Adrian incident, we decided to somehow renounce them. We didn't know how until we looked at the moon and it told us it can make our powers disappear this very night. It was the only chance we could get in years._

"_It was our very last time with powers", Kate said as she took my hand again. I sadly nodded._

_"I'll miss everything. Things will never be the same without our secret."_

"But at least we'll be safe now."

_And with letting a river of tears stream down our faces, Kate and I jumped into the moon pool. We watched as the golden sparkles flew up and felt a part of us being taken away with them. I felt my tail slowly disappearing, changing between legs and itself every second until it completely disappeared, leaving Kate and me with legs and back in our clothes in the moon pool._

_As my tail was gone, I felt myself coming completely back and moon's control over me slightly faded. Now there, in the moon pool, floated Kate and I, normal and average humans again, without any special powers and tails and gills._

_I wanted to cry with all my heart, but I managed to stay strong at least in front of Adrian. There was no way I was letting him know he managed to break me down. Kate approached him and raised her hand, slapping his left cheek so hard his head hit the stone wall he was leaned on. "This is for everything! Now go home! I hope you're happy! Enjoy the mermaid hunt with your buddies!" she said as she and I climbed up the entrance of the cave and disappeared into the Ooha'oma's forest. As soon as we got out of the cave, we couldn't hold the tears back anymore and cried all the way while walking through the forest._

**Melissa's POV**

Hearing grandma's story really got me thinking about what would happen if May, Des and I get exposed. How would the three of us react? Would we run away or give up like grandma did? Would we fight back or live in shadow for the rest of our lives?

"It's not really fair you lost your magic, but at least that Adrian guy got what he deserved", I just couldn't keep my mouth shut. I had to say this.

"He did. He lost his hand, while Kate and I lost something more important… Ourselves." Poor grandma! I think it was hard for her to talk about this and living those moments all over again.

"But where's Jessie? Wasn't she there too?" May asked. I gotta admit, it was a good question. Where the hell was the third girl?

"And what's with the moon thing?" Thank you, Des! Another great question. Man, I'm surrounded with quite clever people here. I would've never thought of asking these questions the two of them did.

"There's time for everything", grandma simply replied. She then got up and went to the living room to get her purse. "I have something here I want to give to the three of you."

Grandma opened her purse and took out three golden necklaces with a gold starfish pendants that's size was at least 5 centimeters. I noticed that every pendant had a different colored crystal in the middle. Grandma smiled and looked at the three of us.

"Who shall I start with… Oh, Destiny." Grandma approached her and put a hand onto her cheek. "Always there to heat things up, right? There would be no someone to heat everything up when my dear granddaughter goes out of control. So for our heat queen here is the red crystal."

Destiny watched in awe as grandma put the necklace around her neck. She took the pendant into her hand and observed it. "Is this a real gold?"

Grandma nodded. "It indeed is, but the crystal isn't a ruby. Nor the other two are diamond or aquamarine."

"But isn't this a little too expensive? I mean, I don't even know you and yet you give me a golden pendant and-" Destiny started, but grandma cut her off.

"Listen, dear. Nothing is too expensive for the new mermaid generation." Destiny nodded, looking a bit sky wearing a golden necklace a woman she never met until a few hours got her.

Grandma then approached me. "Melissa. My dear Melissa. Always the one to cool everything down, right? There would be no heat if there was no cold to suppress it. Just keep being that way. The ice princess gets the white crystal." She put the necklace around my neck and I instantly had my eyes on it. It looked so pretty.

"And last but not least…" grandma started as she went over to May. "… Our May. The one that moves the seas. The one that can be cool, but easily gets fiery when angry. The one keeping the balance between cold and heat, the one without whom cold and heat wouldn't have existed. To the ocean mistress belongs this white crystal."

As May got the pendant around her neck, she, together with Destiny and I, walked over to the big mirror that stood on the wall next to my bed to check our looks. The pendants looked great on us and they even matched our outfits - my white one with my white sundress, May's blue one with her blue sundress and Destiny's red one with her red T - shirt and knee - length shorts. We thanked my grandma as we hugged each other and started to laugh. I guess our secret made us even closer, especially now that we have those lockets. They maybe symbolize our powers, but there is also something else about them - they hold the secret of our friendship that grows more and more as the days go on. And that friendship can get slightly questioned when some friends play tricks on others. And with this I mean this individual girl I hand out with.

"May, that thing with algae was lame", I said as I remembered the thing May said during lunch. She just laughed.

"What? You didn't really think I was just gonna spill everything out? Or did you?" Observing Destiny and mine's serious expressions revealed to her that we really did think that. Who wouldn't? "I cannot believe this! Have a bit of trust, guys! It's me after all."

"Exactly. It's you." Good one, Des! A really good one! But May looked hurt by it - it was fake hurt, of course.

"Now that was just mean."

- H2O -

After the grandma had left in the early sunset, girls and I decided to go for a swim. We raced to the moon pool and guess what? I was the winner. I cannot believe I was faster than May, with her being the first one of the three of us to learn how to swim.

"Beat you!" I just had to brag about it.

Des and May smiled. "Only for an inch", May said.

"It's still a win", I said. Destiny nodded. Her smile slightly faded into a sad expression.

"Guys, what if we ever get exposed?" Thanks for ruining all the joy, Destiny! But still, a wise question that was.

"That's easy. We'll fight back and never give our powers up." Way to go, May! Nice answer! That was just what I was about to say. And I had to add something to it.

"Because grandma's times were different. Teens back then were different than teens these days so we'll definitely never give up!"

Destiny smiled. "You're so right!"

I was just about to say something, when I heard something hard hitting the ground. I saw a tall, brown haired man - clad in dark blue shorts, blue flip - flops and white T - shirt. His hair was pointed up with many spiked, which directed to only one person.

"Dyson!" The three of us yelled.

"Hey, guys", he said as he sat near the edge of the pool. I noticed some cuts on his legs and arms and couple of those on his face. He must've been walking through the forest - the moron probably didn't go the same way the girls and I did that night when we went exploring the island so he got hurt.

"What happened to you? Are you okay?" And May didn't like it when her boy - toy got hurt.

"Yup, these mean nothing." Dyson smiled as he leaned down and kissed May's lips, making Destiny and I giggle. It was still weird for us to see them as a couple - although they looked like a nice couple - we still needed time to get used to it.

"Anyway", he continued, "I analyzed everything, and I mean _everything _here and there's nothing abnormal with it."

"That helps us how?" I laughed every time Destiny made fun of Dyson by asking sarcastic questions.

Dyson let out a cynical smile as he looked at her and stretched his hand towards her. "Would you mind getting out? I just need to test something on you."

"No way", Destiny said. "I'm not your science project."

"It's for the sake of you three. If it succeeds, it'll make your life a lot easier."

Seeing that Dyson has good arguments, Destiny took his hand as he helped her get out on the surface. She dried herself off with her power before standing up, looking directly into Dyson's eyes. "This better be something good."

"Oh, trust me, it is." He took a green pack of wet tissues out of his pocket and took one wet tissue out. "Take this and wet your arm with it."

"No way, I'll grow a tail."

"Just trust me."

Rolling her eyes, Destiny took a wet tissue from him and obeyed. She was about to ran into the moon pool, but Dyson grabbed her hand, stopping her. "Not yet."

"But I'll grow a tail", Destiny repeated.

Dyson checked his watch and seeing as nothing happened, he looked back at Destiny and smiled. "Do you see a tail anywhere?"

"No…" Destiny muttered then smiled after realizing there really is no tail. "There's no tail! Meaning…"

"That you can use these to wash all the naughty body parts without hurrying up with it in the water. You can also clean your hands. But buy this brand only, this one doesn't contain any water in it", Dyson explained.

All three of us smiled at him. He really was a good friend. I cannot believe I haven't thought of that. May leaned her hands on the pool's edge and raised her torso up. She waved her finger at Dyson, signaling him to come closer. As he came to her, she put her right hand onto his cheek and pulled him into a passionate kiss. He doesn't know how lucky he is for getting s prize like that. Many guys would want it for sure.

- H2O -

**A part of the past is revealed and Dyson found out something interesting. I told my friend (the girl Destiny's based on) about the part May made Destiny and Melissa think she'll spoil the secret and then said she's allergic to algae and my friend said if I did something like that in real life she'd beat me up XD May's based on me btw. But I'm not that much like her, I'm not so wild :)**


	7. Beware the Full Moon

**Welcome to the new chapter! And I made a mistake last time, May's crystal is blue, not white so don't be confused :D**

**Big thanks to awesome Alyssa95, Paradox Tremors, Jniems and CheddarFetta for the nice reviews. Love ya, guys! They have some nice stories too and I suggest you read them as well.**

**Destiny's POV**

I watched the sun as it silently disappeared behind the clouds bathed in light orange color. Darkness surrounded the city, swallowing it into its dark rays. The big moon shone above the ocean, lighting the path that led May, Melissa and me to the shore. I dried us off with my power and we were just about to go to our homes, when we saw a dark figure approaching us.

"Hello, girls", the figure spoke with a female voice. Wait a minute! I knew that voice from somewhere, it sounded so familiar. But where have I heard it? Hmm… "I have something to tell you."

"Grandma, it's you!" Melissa shrieked and was pulled into a hug by the figure. It was Mrs. Tanner, of course. Why haven't I thought of that? It couldn't have been anyone else but her. But how did she know where May's - meaning this beach - place was?

"Good evening, Mrs. Tanner", May and I greeted. Although it was pretty dark, I could still see Mrs. Tanner's lips curving into a smile.

"I'm just here to warn you", she said.

To warn us? About what? Was there something or someone that wanted to hurt us? I couldn't stand the suspense anymore, so I had to ask what it was all about. "About what?"

"About the full moon tomorrow." Oh, yeah. I remember Mrs. Tanner saying something about the moon when telling her story. Must be related to this.

"What about the full moon?" Melissa asked.

"Do not look into its eyes, it's very dangerous", Mrs. Tanner warned. I hated it when she talked with metaphor. Couldn't have she just speak normally, like normal people do? But anyway, she continued her speech: "If you do, something bad might happen. You could become very dangerous and seriously hurt or even kill someone. But you could also become mild and sweet. Too sweet. And there will be only one thing you will wish for - to go to Ooha'oma."

"But tomorrow night's the middle school's final party. _Our_ class' final party", Melissa said. I groaned. I just now remembered the dance. I hope we'll be able to go because parties are something I really look forward to.

"You'll have to be very careful", Mrs. Tanner spoke. Well, thank you Mrs. Obvious!

"We will", we promised in unison. Mrs. Tanner just smiled at us and left after saying goodbye.

"But the party'll be on the history teacher's beach shack, remember? It's small and we'll probably have to go outside", May remembered us.

I took a deep breath. " We just have to be careful and everything'll be okay, trust me." But I myself wasn't convinced into my words. I had this feeling that something'll go wrong. And my feelings almost never play with me. I just hope that this time they actually do.

- H2O -

Melissa, Dyson and I were leaned on the wall inside the shack, unsuccessfully trying to talk with the music going louder and louder. I bit my lip in hope of getting rid of this uncomfortable feeling that kinda had in mind of bugging me for the whole night - no, it was not that feeling that something will go wrong, it was something else. And the cause of it were this dress and high heels - this short, blood red dress and matching heels. I hated dresses and skirts, high heels even more. What was the thing with them anyway? Is there some law saying you're more feminine wearing those than something else you feel more comfortable in? Why did have I even let Melissa talk me into wearing those anyway?

Melissa on the other hand enjoyed wearing a dress. Hers was short too, but was white to match her necklace crystal's color. On her feet were high - heeled sandals and her normally wavy hair was straightened. She wore a bit more makeup then she usually does, but not as much as me.

I sighed as I looked towards the door, waiting for May to finally arrive. Maybe then I'll have some decent fun. To my luck I didn't have to wait long for her as she entered the small shack in about two minutes. I gulped, seeing her looks. She looked so… Not like herself.

She was clad in knee - length sky blue dress with some diamond - like crystals around her waist and dark blue 10 - inch high - heels. He hair was straightened and on her face there was actually some makeup - a pretty weird if you ask me. She never uses makeup, the reason being she doesn't know _how_ to actually use it without ruining her face.

"Hey, guys!" she said as she ran to us. She was immediately pulled into a hug by Dyson and returned him that by giving him a long, passionate kiss.

_1, 2, 3, 4, 5… _Melissa and I counted on our fingers how much the lovebirds can handle without breathing air. Strangely, they handled it a lot longer than we had expected. _59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64..._ When we got to 65, they separated their lips and took a few deep breaths. I guess 65 is the record for now, but if they practice, they'll be able to do it for at least ten seconds longer.

"We'll have a great night for sure", May whispered in Dyson's ear while I read her lips. He smiled at her statement, causing me to roll my eyes. Oh, great! Forget what I said about having some fun with her because she had obviously found herself another interest.

"I'll go get something to drink", Melissa announced to us as she instantly headed towards the bar, disappearing into the crowd.

**Melissa's POV**

Getting through the crowd, I finally managed to reach the bar. I saw a blonde haired student that took the role of the waiter; he was dressed in properly black suit and white shirt and looked pretty tidy and neat. Nice!

"Can you give me a glass of Coca Cola?" I asked with a pretty loud tone. The one thing I hated about the parties was the fact that all of them were so loud yu couldn't even hear your own thoughts.

"Cola's are still in boxes outside", he replied and leaned over a bar so I can hear him explain to me where exactly the drinks I wanted were. "Just get out the door and you'll find them on the right. Of course, if the others haven't drank all of them."

Thanking him, I went to get myself my so desperately wanted Coca Cola. Barely making it out without breathing for a few seconds - this being due to the large crowd inside, which wasn't any less outside either - I looked at the right side and just as the waiter - student said, Cola's were there. In fact, the whole pack of six of big bottles was there, intact. I guess the others were only interested in alcohol or dancing.

I crouched to unpack the pack and just when I was about to take a bottle, I was distracted by a bright yellow light which's reflection from the Cola bottles was pointed directly into my eyes. Seeing that light, I felt like I'm sinking into a dream - like state.

I looked up; facing the big and full moon that shone with its full strength above me. It looked beautiful, like in one of those romantic movies. The moonlight made it even more stunning. I slowly got up on my feet to see the moon better. Oh, how powerful that heavenly body made me feel!

Taking a small breath, I smiled. I had a feeling that I'm not supposed to do that - any of that - but staring at the moon and smiling at it felt so good. I suddenly got a desire to sing and dance and smiled even more. I'm definitely doing that! But soon I found myself sinking into darkness, with no one there to snap me out of it. I had no more control over my body and I had no idea what the hell I was about to do. Hell, I no longer had any idea what I had done before losing my conscience.

**Destiny's POV**

I stood somewhere between the crowd, desperately hoping to get rid of this boredom. I mean, what the hell was I supposed to do while all my friends were busy? I took a look behind and saw May and Dyson making out, leaned on a wall. And those kisses were like there's no tomorrow. I mean, they looked like they're eating each other! I just rolled my eyes at the sight and tried to think of a place where Melissa might be. She said she was going to get herself a drink, but she should've be done with it a while ago. My guess was that she found herself a guy and ended up with him in one of the corners.

Suddenly, the music stopped playing and everyone pointed their looks towards the stereo, where stood Melissa with a CD in her hand. As she put the one that was in it out, she put some other into it and pressed the _Play_ button. In that exact moment, the song _I Feel Good_ started to play out loud and Melissa's already wide smile went wider.

"What the hell is she doing?" May asked, as she and Dyson approached me.

"I have no idea." I replied, shaking my head and trying to figure it out myself too. But really, what the hell was she up to?

"Maybe she's drunk", Dyson spoke. May and I glanced at him as he shrugged his shoulders. "What? We all know she's crazy!"

"I FEEL GOOD!" We were shaken out our thoughts as Melissa raised her hands in the air, balled her fists and started to sing along the song the loudest she possibly could. She had a nice singing voice - I gotta admit - but this was not singing; this was rather yelling and it sounded awful. Following the rhythm, she started to move, jump and do many other weird moves I can't even name.

Everyone stared at her, especially Dyson, May and me. I can't even describe to you how Dyson and May's faces looked like; they both were so pale like they've seen a ghost. I think I might've looked like that too. But soon all three of us burst into laughter, along with some other kids. Many were still blankly staring at Melissa.

"Melissa's totally lost it." Oh, no! That voice… It couldn't have been them. It couldn't! But it was. Ilene and Therese approached the three of us with a cynical looks on their faces. They were both dressed in the same dresses - Illene's was yellow, while Therese's was turquoise. Their shoes were white high - heeled sandals, but nothing alike Melissa's - here were prettier. They both had a ton of makeup on their faces almost as much as I did - it wouldn't be a problem if they didn't try to pretend they're pretty with it because it was just that - pretending. Illene's hair was - as usual - spiked, with light blue edges. Therese's was curled.

Therese's skinny legs looked like two small sticks beyond that short dress of hers, while Illene haven't really tried to cover the small 'fat' parts around her stomach. May and I at least succeeded in that.

"Yeah, look at her. Doing whatever she is doing there like some kind of a slut", Therese added to Illene's comment as they tried to drink that beer from the glasses they held in their hands, but they burst into laughter, spilling almost half the glasses on the floor.

Dyson, May and I just rolled our eyes. Even though Dyson was a good friend with them, he still didn't like them. He just hung out with them out of collegiality, but they thought he actually liked them. What morons!

"I dunno what you're doing with them, Dyson. You can always hand out with normal people, like us", Illene said and winked at Dyson. He just smiled, while May once again rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Illene… How come you're here, I wonder? I thought the zoo is closed at night", May said. I almost burst into laughter, but managed to sustain myself.

Illene just let out a slight smile. "Keep talking, May, and someday you'll say something intelligent."

"Well, hanging out with you for eight years sure sucks intelligence out of people", May retailed through her teeth. "I'm surprised I still know my own name after sharing the classroom with you for all those years."

Okay, that did it. I couldn't help it anymore as I burst into laughter. Dyson did the same. Illene and Therese growled, while May spotted the bear glasses in their hands and gave me a smirk. I nodded, perfectly understanding what she wanted me to do. I put my hand behind and clenched my fingers, heating up the beer in the bitches' glasses. May put her hand down and waved it, making the beer explode all over Illene and Therese.

They both screamed in unison, while Dyson gave May and me an approving look and a nod.

"What's up, gals?" Melissa suddenly appeared behind Illene and Therese and took a few steps to stand between them and looked at them. They still shrieked due to the hot beer being in touch with their skin - but in my defense, I have to say it was not _that _hot. I made it enough hot to give them pain, not to actually leave bruises and/or burns on their skin.

Melissa kept observing them, now looking at their dresses and smiling. "Nice dresses… Not!" she laughed in a way drunk person laughs. "You look so slutty in them."

"Excuse me?" Illene was obviously stunned by her statement, since Melissa never actually told them off when they mocked her in school. She would rather expect May or me to say it to her, but never Melissa.

Melissa faced her and their eyes met. "I said that you and skeleton here look like sluts in those dresses. You're also deaf?"

Therese growled and balled her fist. Altough she did look like a skeleton, she didn't actually like to be called like that. She liked her looks pretty much. "You're the last person on Earth to say something like that. I mean, look at you. You're fourteen - almost fifteen - and you look like you're twelve."

Melissa took her and Illene's hands. "I know. Isn't it nice? When I get older, I'll always look younger, while you and your gal here will look like grannies. Thanks for the compliment, Terry."

Illene and Therese pushed her away. They gave her a deadly glare before heading towards the bar, speechless. Melissa just smiled.

"What the hell is going on with you?" May asked her with a dose of concern in her voice. It wasn't her nature to act like that - our Melissa is a sweet and nice girl, even though sometimes annoying.

"Why don't we all go to Ooha'oma?" Melissa asked, ignoring May's question.

I frowned. "Why would we go there?"

"Because it's so awesome there right now", Melissa replied in a childish tone. "Let's swim there." She made a few steps forward and soon got lost in the crowd that was now bigger than ever.

"But it's the full moon!" I said, but I doubt either May or Dyson had heard me due to the loud music being played again.

The three of us glared at each other, trying to figure out what made Melissa so unlike her actual self. There was only one thing capable of doing that and I think I knew what it was. "She looked at the moon."

"Yeah, I remember now! Her grandma described the moon doing something like this to mermaids", May added. Dyson just frowned.

"We have to find her before someone gets in trouble!" he said, determined. May, Melissa and I told him all about Melissa's grandma and he was glad that we had someone beside him to help us out. But there was not Melissa's grandma there at the moment and the only one that could help us was Dyson.

The three of us took hands - so we don't get lost - and somehow broke through the crowd and got to the front door. Dyson stood in front of it, showing us with his hands not to go any further so we don't get moonstruck.

"I think she's outside, guys", he said. May and I glanced at each other and gulped. She was outside, but she couldn't have gone too far, right?

**Melissa's POV**

Going step by step forward, I slowly walked towards the ocean. I stood at the edge of the tall rock and looked at the shiny moon. There was this feeling again; this peace, strength and unison with it. I smiled as I elegantly jumped into the ocean, enjoying the feeling of my legs turning into a tail. Being a mermaid felt so nice.

With a twist of my tail, I found myself in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by hundreds of tiny tropical fish. I did a turn in the water and alighted to the bottom of the ocean. I swam to one of the underwater rocks and saw a beautiful starfish and two orange - pinkish shells. I carefully ran my finger on the starfish's body and smiled. If only this would last forever.

**Dyson's POV**

Leaving the girls inside the shack, I took a step outside and eye - scanned the area around it, hoping to see Melissa. But there was not only no sign of her, but also the moon was gone too. Some white clouds hid it and I found that a perfect chance for the girls to come out. I somehow managed to get back into the shack and found the girls leaned on the wall right next to the door.

"The moon's behind the clouds, you can come out now and help me find her", I whispered into their ears due to the music being too loud to talk normally. Together with Destiny and May I ran out the shack and immediately began searching the area around it. The three of us approached the rock that parted the shack from the beach, thinking she might've been lying there or something. Seeing she was not there, we took a step on the edge of the rock and looked at the ocean, trying to see if she's in there somewhere.

"She's probably on Ooha'oma by now", Destiny stated.

May nodded. "We'll never gonna find her."

Suddenly, the sound of the splashing water was heard and Melissa's head popped out on the surface. She still wore a big, playful smile on her face as she waved her hand at us. "Let's go to Ooha'oma together. The moon's calling us there, can't you hear it?"

"She's lost it", May muttered under her breath.

I felt someone pushing me forward. Looking behind, I saw Destiny pointing me to Melissa. "Ho ahead, Dyson. Pull her out", she ordered.

What the hell? How was I supposed to do it? And why me, anyway? He tail probably weights a tone and she's not so willing to get out. "Me? Why me?"

"It's obvious we can't get wet. Now go!" Actually, Des kinda made a point here. If she got inside, Melissa would probably drag her to OOha'oma against her will.

Seeing there's no choice left for me, I crouched and leaned over to Melissa. "Of course we're going to Ooha'oma. Why don't you give me your hand and show me the way to get there?" I slowly stretched my hand for her to take it so I can pull her out, but I was terribly wrong thinking she would get owned so easy.

As she took my hand, I tried to pull her out, but she was stronger and pulled me to her, with me ending up in the ocean. May and Destiny first looked shocked, but in a second they burst in the laughter, while I dove out and grabbed Melissa's tail. I looked at May and Destiny - who were still laughing - and shook my head in disapprovance. Melissa just kept smiling, eyeing them. This was a valuable lesson to learn - never think you're stronger than a moonstruck mermaid, because you're not.

- H2O -

"Okay, why isn't this working?" Destiny wondered; her fist balled above Melissa's tail. We - meaning me - somehow managed to get her out and dragged her behind the rocks so no one can see her. Destiny's been drying her for a couple of minutes now and even though she was dry, her tail refused to disappear and give her legs back.

"It may be the moon", May presumed.

Melissa - lying on the sand and still smiling - took May's hand and pulled her closer. "Let's go to Ooha'oma."

"No! Let's not! Stop being an annoyance!" May yelled, now being more than annoyed by her friend. I could understand that - I was annoyed by her too. What the hell was the moon's problem that it had to make her like that? And how exactly did it do that, anyway?

At the moment we were not so protected and anyone could've walked in and seen Melissa's tail so I thought of a plan. I excused myself and got back to the shack, where I found some towels lying on the floor. Most of the people there were drunk and no one noticed me taking one red towel and running out with it. I somehow didn't think someone'll need it since I figured if they're drunk, they'll think it's _there_ due to the alcohol in their system.

Meeting again with the girls, I got confused looks by May and Destiny and they questioned why I took the towel. They must've thought I was joking - what I usually do - but this time I was damn serious.

"I took this so we can cover her in case someone sees us", I explained as I covered Melissa's torso and tail with a towel. She didn't actually like it and tried to stop me from doing that, but with a promise that she looks better with it, she gave up.

"What is this? A private party?" I noticed Illene and Therese approaching us. Their voices and laughs sounded weird - they must've been drunk. Thank God I covered Melissa on time or else this secret would involve even more people - which wouldn't be so good.

"What the hell do you want?" May asked, now even more annoyed by their appearance.

"We were just walking", Illene said as she glared at May and then at Melissa. "What happened to her? She had sex with someone from the party? Or the three of you do it in a group way?"

"I was swimming, actually", Melissa corrected her and also cut off Destiny and May, who wanted to say something to Illene and Therese - and I think that something was not so nice.

"Wanna go to Ooha'oma with me?" Melissa raised her head and continued with her request to go to that island - I was sure she didn't mind with who she's go there since she asked Illene and Therese to accompany her.

Destiny immediately covered Melissa's mouth and pulled her head back down. "She's drunk, she doesn't know what she's talking about", she lied, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

"Yeah, it shows…" mumbled Therese as she and Illene burst into laughter. She took Illene's hand and headed back towards the shack. "Enjoy."

May, Destiny and I rolled our eyes, while Melissa smirked. She raised her hand and pointed it towards Illene and Therese, widening her smile. Suddenly, their scream was heard and, along with the pretty harsh _'What the hell'_. I noticed their hands frozen together and glanced at Melissa, who kept on smiling. May, Destiny and I laughed at what she did, but I wondered how she did it - she was supposed only to freeze water, right?

"What are we gonna do with her?" May asked; her laughter fading away and ending up replaced with a concerned pout. "She's acting all… Drunk. Too drunk."

Destiny was about to say something, but was cut off by Melissa.

"Fish." Melissa leaned her head on the soft sand. "I wanna eat fish."

"May, go home and get some fish", Destiny said.

"Why me?" May protested. "You can also go home and get some stupid fish for her!

"Your house is closer to us than mine."

May let out a defeated sigh. "Fine! But Dyson's coming with me!" she said as she grabbed my hand. Oh, dear! This was going to be a long night.

- H2O -

May walked pretty fast towards her house, leaving me miles behind her. I tried to get her to slow down, but the only thing on her mind was getting that fish for Melissa. But, luckily, I knew May enough to know things that could make her slow down.

"May, why don't you come to me so we can have some fun while walking." She immediately stopped and gave me a glance.

"But…" I cut her off.

"Des didn't say we have to hurry."

She smiled as she ran to me and instantly found herself in my arms. I gave her a passionate kiss and she retaliated. Soon the two of us were kissing for a couple of minutes now, which wouldn't be such a big deal if we weren't standing in the middle of the road. There were many cars and trucks avoiding us, some almost hitting us, many sirens were heard but we just didn't care. The only important thing for us was that never ending kiss.

May slowly backed away from me, then leaned to me and whispered to my ear in a sexy voice: "We should get going." I nodded and we continued our way to her house. Luckily, I'll get more of her soon. At least I hoped I will.

- H2O -

Once we got there, we sneaked in with the spare key May's parents left for her in one of the flower vases that hung around the door. Mrs. and Mr. Seward were thankfully sleeping and we managed to take a tuna tin and get out without being noticed. It was 1 am already and if they noticed us, they'd probably lock May in and repel me.

- H2O -

On our way back, I put my arms around May after she said she felt a bit cold. I would probably be cold too if I - like her - wore something short, but wearing a suit had some advantages I became aware of in that exact moment.

While walking, May leaned her head on my shoulder and whispered to me that she was sleepy. I was kinda shocked since she was the one that goes to sleep late - one of her most familiar quotes is _"I'm the queen of the night and the sleeper of the day."_ I guess it was different this time.

"You up for a quickie?" I whispered to her ear. It was now my time for the sexy voice.

May gulped. "What? Dyson, we're too young for that!"

"I meant the kiss", I immediatelly corrected myself. A quickie? How stupid could I be? I mean, it's not like I don't know the meaning of it, it's just the question I asked her in one of my daydreams and she accepted. Do I need to tell what happened afterwards and _when_ that daydream happened?

She smiled. "But what about-"

"Forget about Mel and Des, it's all about us now", I cut her off. "Please."

"Okay", May said as she leaned to me and gave me one of the best kisses I could ever wish for. And her lips… They tasted so yummy, like a cherry. I swear, I'll buy her this chapstick whenever she says she needs it because the kisses are only better when it's on them. I wonder why I haven't felt that earlier.

"Destiny's gonna kill us", May muttered. I nodded. She was gonna kill us and probably get rid of our bodies in the ocean.

- H2O -

"Finally!" Destiny grumbled at the very sight of May and me approaching her. I already knew she was going to lecture us. "Where the hell were you? I waited for you for an hour and a half!"

An hour and a half? It's really been that long? Man! And to think it takes only about twenty minutes to get to May's house - ten if you hurry up a bit - I gotta understand Destiny's anger.

"We got stuck… In the traffic", May lied. It's true if you consider kissing on the middle of the road and cars barely avoiding you and sirens echoing at you being stuck in traffic. I guess we were stuck there. Our lips got glued to each other's.

"Yeah, right", Destiny rolled her eyes. "Have you got the fish?"

"Here." May fell on her knees right next to Melissa and was about to give her the tuna tin, when Melissa snatched it right out of her hand. She opened it and smiled, licking her lips. She gave the three of us a glance and showed us the tuna tin in her hand, offering us to take some, but we all shook our heads.

Melissa grabbed the meat with her fingers and stuck all of it into her mouth. She had oil all over her hands and face, but she just kept eating that way. May, Destiny and I have her disquieted looks, but she didn't seem to care. After she's eaten all of it, she threw the empty tin on the sand next to her, leaned her arms to raise her torso and let out a satisfied smile.

"Now can we go to Ooha'oma?" she asked. I rolled my eyes. Which time was it tonight that she asked us this.

"NO!" May, Destiny and I yelled in unison.

"You're not going anywhere", May ordered.

"You're staying here. Period", Destiny added then turned to May and me. "Now what'll we do with her?"

I took a deep breath and tried to think of a solution for this _problem_. Many things crossed my mind at the moment, but neither seemed right. Well, that's before I got this brilliant idea. "We can take her to the moon pool and have a sleepover there."

"I like it!" Destiny said as she ran to the shoal. "May, you and Dyson come after me." And with that, she disappeared in the ocean.

"You get Mel for us, will you?" May followed Destiny, leaving me with Melissa, who kept smiling at me.

I looked at her and sighed. I guess there was no other choice. Who is the one that always has to do all the dirty work? Dyson" Who is the one that always does everything? Dyson! Who has to help Melissa get into the ocean, even though her tail weights a tone? Dyson!

Throwing the towel that covered her away, I took her under the pits and dragged her to the shoal. That whole time while I was doing that, she looked like she was having an eye sex with me, which scared me in a way. She even tried to kiss me once, but I pushed her head away.

"So we're going to Ooha'oma after all?" she asked.

I nodded, defeated. "Yup, we are. Meet us in the moon pool, okay?"

She just smiled as she dove under the ocean water, leaving me all alone and tired on the beach. I immediately ran to the marina to get my boat so I can go meet up with the girls on Ooha'oma.

- H2O -

After finally getting on that island, I entered the cave and after a very hurtful landing there, I found the girls trying to talk Melissa into getting out on the surface, but she just didn't seem to listen.

"Take her out, Dyson!" May ordered me as she took my hand and dragged me to the edge of the pool. "I have no more patience with her. She's killing me, literally!"

I nodded and went over to Melissa and took her hands, trying to get her put on the surface. I thought she was going to resist of something, but the only thing she did was giving me a blank stare. After a couple of minutes of pulling her hands, I finally managed to pull her out. Destiny immediately dried her off with her power, but her tail still remained there.

I noticed that the girls were tired and exhausted after everything so I dragged Melissa to the cave's wall and sat on the ground, leaning on the wall. May and Destiny did the same as they sat around me; May laid, with her head resting on my lap and Destiny leaned her head on my shoulder. Melissa rested her head on Destiny's lap and Destiny grabbed her hand in case she tries to escape. Tired, the four of us soon fell asleep.

**Melissa's POV**

I slowly opened my eyes and after a couple of minutes of looking around, I recognized the place I was at was the moon pool's cave. I noticed I was lying on Destiny's lap as I looked at her and saw Dyson and May sleeping next to her. But what the hell's happened? How did I end up here? How did _they_ end up here? Why?

All I could remember was me going to get myself a Cola and then waking up here. But what happened in between? I needed to know the answer and the only thing I could do that was if I ask my friends myself.

"Hey, guys! Wake up!" I yelled as loud as I could. The immediately opened their eyes and stared at me.

May instantly put her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. "You're normal! There's no tail!"

Normal? Tail? What the hell was going on? "What do you mean?"

Destiny let out a sigh, ready to explain everything to me. "Long story short, you looked at the moon and became weird. I mean, weirder than usual. You started to act like you're drunk."

My eyes went wide open. I remember grandma saying about the moon controlling mermaids, but I actually looked at it? Wow, I have no idea what the hell I was doing. Screwed that moon was, indeed. "What did I do?"

"You sang… And danced…" May burst into laughter along with Destiny and Dyson. The threesome raised their hands in the air and I think they imitated my 'performance'.

"I FEEL GOOD!" they yelled in unison, laughing even more.

I felt my cheeks turning red as I buried my head into my hands in embarrassment. "Did I embarrass myself in some other way?"

"Well… You told Illene and Therese that they look like sluts and laughed, and after it you froze their hands", Destiny explained and continued: "Although I don't get it how was she able to use her power on something that's not wet."

Wow, I actually kinda like that moon if it really made me did that to Illene and Therese. But the only screwed thing is that I can't remember nothing I did. And I mean _nothing_. But that question Des asked was kinda important - how did I manage to freeze something that was not wet? But - as usual - Dyson had a theory.

"Maybe under the influence of the moon her powers were stronger."

May and Destiny nodded, while I stared blankly at him. "Yeah, maybe."

- H2O -

**Please review, people! It would mean a lot to me! And please, no mean reviews. Sorry if there are mistakes.**


	8. Just a Girl at Heart

**Thanks for the lovely reviews, guys. I love everyone who reviewed and read my story! I hope you'll like this chapter. Here we go:**

**May's POV**

I smiled, satisfied, as the slight breeze blew around my hair as I sat on the bench in the park. Tall trees around the bench gave me protection from the sun and I thought there was not better way to spend a Saturday morning. Dyson sat next to me; his hand gently holding mine. I could feel the warmth of his body as I rested my head on his shoulder.

All of a sudden he turned to me and leaned to me. I expected him to kiss me so I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment of expecting his lips to touch mine. But after being in that position for a few seconds and not getting that so wanted kiss, I opened my eyes and saw him taking a small nail clipper out of his pocket.

"May, would you like to give me your nail sample?" he asked in a serious voice. "I have this brilliant idea so I would want you to help me with it."

At first I was stunned - I probably looked like I've seen a ghost - but in a moment I came to my senses and gave my boyfriend a death glare. I mean, who does he think he is to turn me into his science project instead of kissing me? Doesn't he realize what being romantic means?

"Excuse me?"

"I just need a nail sample, nothing more", he repeated in an innocent tone.

I immediately let go of his hand and balled my fist, hitting the bench with it that it hurt a bit, but I just didn't care. "Dyson, you're such a moron!" I got up and ran to the pier that stood a few meters away from the park and jumped into the ocean. As my tail replaced my legs, I used super speed swimming as I headed towards Ooha'oma. I just had to go somewhere to calm down a bit.

- H2O -

Diving out in the moon pool's cave, I saw Destiny and Melissa floating on the water surface and laughing about something. If only I could be that happy at the moment. I immediately leaned my arms on the edge of the pool and rested my head on them.

"Hello to you too", Destiny spoke sarcastically. I would've said hello if I wasn't that angry at my stupid boyfriend.

"Man are so… Feelingless", I muttered under my breath and rolled my eyes. "I still don't get it how he got that idea to ask me that."

Melissa glanced at me. "What did he ask you?"

"Yeah, May, what?" Destiny repeated. Man, those girls really could get boring and annoying sometimes. Don't they realize that I sometimes want to be left alone?

I shook my head, uninterested in their words.. "Doesn't matter."

I thought it was going to be the end of the questions, but it was just a start. Melissa became so persistent all of a sudden and Destiny picked after her. They even promised they won't laugh if I said something funny. But they just had no idea there was nothing funny going on. I was just about to leave, when Melissa grabbed my hand and refused to let me go until I said what Dyson asked me."

"Fine!" I yelled, annoyed by her and Des' behavior. "He asked me for a nail sample, okay? He asked for a nail sample."

_Surprisingly_, Melissa and Destiny burst into laughter like I've just said the funniest thing world's ever seen. They put their hands over their mouth like they tried to hide their laughter from me. Were they really that stupid?

"You really are some friends", I grumbled and once again rolled my eyes.

Destiny went to say something, when all of a sudden a loud crash was heard and in the cave appeared a person I least wanted to see at the moment - my _smart_ boyfriend, Dyson. Seeing him, Melissa and Destiny laughed even more. He muttered something under his breath and I noticed a big, bleeding cut on his knee - he must've complained to himself about that - and I let out a slight smirk. I would've usually feel bad if he got hurt, but at the moment it felt so good to see him in pain.

"I mean really, Dyson! Really!" Melissa spoke as she and Des laughed even more.

Ignoring Melissa's statement, Dyson approached me and fell to his knees, letting out a hiss due to his knee being hurt. Now I started to feel a bit sorry for him, but it's not like I'd let him know about it.

"May, I really don't get it why you ran away. Why did you even call me a moron?" he asked. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was he saying I'm the bad guy here?

"Like you don't know!" I exclaimed.

"Tell me, please", he said in an soft, lovely tone. Like I'd fall for that!

I responded with a death glare. "Fuck off!"

But instead of doing what I told him to do, he held out his hand towards me. I instantly thought he'll take my hand, but I was terribly wrong. He put his hand in the water and I felt him touch my tail, when suddenly there was a second - long pain I felt. As Dyson pulled his hand out of the water, I saw him holding a golden scale in his hand - my scale!

"What the hell did you do that for?" I yelled, angered by his behavior.

"Now I've got the scale, the only thing left is the nail", he said as he took that very same nail clipper he held earlier. Melissa and Destiny burst into laughter again, while I just rolled my eyes. Man, this eyes rolling thing really started to hurt my eyes.

"And I though you cared about me!" I made a disgusted face expression and dove under the water, swimming as far away from the moon pool as possible. There was no way I'll forgive Dyson for what he did. No way!

**Melissa's POV**

This thing with May and Dyson sure made me laugh like never before. He tried to do some tests and she was frustrated; her face expression and the tone of her voice spiced up the whole situation and made it even more funny. I knew she felt bad about what Dyson was doing, but I couldn't help but laugh at the two of them. And now that she's left, Dyson looked as confused as the child in the store wondering how that toy Santa Claus can talk.

"I don't get it what's with her this whole day…" Dyson whined. I gave Destiny a look and the two of us barely sustained our laughter.

"Me neither. I'd be happy if - when I find myself a boyfriend -he takes my scales and nails to do research about me", I said with a dose of sarcasm in my voice.

"See? I think she's just too sensitive", Dyson said. And someone would think a smart boy like him would be able to recognize sarcasm. I guess not! "I gotta go." He said hi to Des and me, before leaving the cave. I dunno where the hell he was going, but wherever it was, he should think about what he was doing there.

"He's totally messed up", Destiny said. The two of us couldn't hold back our laughter anymore. "I can't believe who we're hanging out with."

**Dyson's POV**

I locked the door of my basement - where the lab was - and put May's scale on one of the free desks. The lab wasn't too big, but it had nice equipment for a wannabe scientist like me.

This whole thing with May was kinda getting on my nerves. I've never seen her act like that before; even in school, in front of Illene and Therese, she was calm and peaceful. I dunno what's gotten into her that day.

"_And I thought you cared about me!"_ I couldn't get those words out of my head. What did she mean by that? Of course I cared about her. I cared about her even more than I cared about myself. How did she get the impression I didn't care? She was a lovely girl - a bit weird, but I like 'em that way - and she had lots of good manners. And she - unlike my old girlfriend, Eris Toddler - wasn't pushy and actually made herself my girlfriend without asking me first, like Eris did.

All I wanted to do was to help May and the girls with these tests and May seemed so uninterested about it. First she says she needs my help, but when I _actually_ try to do something, she gets angry. I even got this large cut while trying to locate that damn cave today - which kinda makes me think, someone should shorted the grass there, it's becoming kinda wild there- and she's angry at me. Women!

**May's POV**

Dyson really drove me crazy that day. After I swam away from the moon pool, I went directly to my room and googled _'annoying boyfriend' _just so I can be happy I'm not the only girl that's been driven crazy by her guy. I was so pleased to read all those horrible experiences with boyfriends that my moon went up and I managed to get the smile back on my face.

And now here I was, sitting on the beach at my place with Destiny and Melissa and talking about guess who - Dyson! The two of them were so damn persistent that I should give him another chance, with a speech that guy can be unreasonable sometimes. And guess what? I didn't care! Should I treat someone without respect with the excuse that I can be unreasonable?

You may be wondering what made me so angry about this situation and I am just about to answer that. I watched many tv shows and read many books and fanfictions, and I'm really sensitive when scientists caught _different _people and do tests on them. Yes, I know Dyson didn't caught me or anything, but still I felt like to him I was only one of those _different_ people who're only worth as experiments. And I don't like that feeling. I like to feel loved and cared about, not like an experiment.

"Come on, maybe you'll make up this time", Melissa kept being persistent even after I told her I won't talk to Dyson about this for the hundredth time. But after hearing it from her so many times, I actually kinda wondered if it would be a good idea. But I was only questioning it, without deciding.

"I agree with Mel. Call him and maybe he apologizes", Destiny said. I took a small breath and smiled. Maybe he does apologize. He was a big boy and probably figured out what's wrong till now.

Taking the cell phone in my hands, I muttered: _"Fine" _under my breath and typed Dyson's number. It rang for a few times until he finally answered the call.

"Hi, May", I heard his usual sweet voice greeting me.

I took a deep breath. What I was going to ask him wasn't so easy to do. "Listen, shouldn't you… You know… Tell me something right now…" _Please, say yes._

"Actually I wanted to ask you something… But I wanted to ask you in person", he said. I smiled. He said yes!

"I'm at the beach at my place. So, I'll see you in couple of minutes?"

"Yup, I'll be there."

As I hung up, the girls immediately bombed me with questions about what he did and did not say. I announced that he was coming and I could tell they were happy about me. They were nice friends to have after all.

- H2O -

Ten minutes later Dyson came at the beach just as he said he would. He took my hand and we went to talk alone behind the rocks, leaving the girls behind. Dyson had a pretty satisfied look on his face and he seemed pretty happy, but for some reason he refused to tell me why in front of Mel and Des. Well, I guess I'll find out in just a minute.

"So… Speak", I mumbled. "So many tests… I'm sure you want to say something in your own defense."

He nodded happily. "Yeah. And you're going to love it."

"Okay then, speak".

He took a deep breath, like he was about to announce the cancer curing medicine. Clearing his throat, he began his speech: "You know, I'm doing something to make you girls waterproof… That's why I needed your scales and nail… So now-"

I cut him off. "Waterproof? No way, Dyson! Don't you know science and magic don't exactly get along pretty well?" What the hell was he thinking?

Dyson put a finger over my lips. "Shhh, let me finish. And just for your information, science can beat magic. Anyway, so…"

"So?"

"So I need a hair sample since you don't wanna give me a nail." He took a tweezers out of his jeans pocket and held it up. Just when he was about to rip my hair off, I took a step back and harshly hit his hand, making it back away.

"You need my hair? You're acting like a complete moron for the whole damn day and instead of apologizing, you ask me to give you a hair sample?" I felt rage taking over me. The look on his face when I hit his hand and now that I told him off made me feel good for a moment. The only thoughts I had at the moment were hurting him and making him feel what he made me feel and I gotta tell you, it felt so good.

But he apparently still didn't realized what he had done to me and was still confused about everything. "I should apologize? Why?"

I gave him a death glare and, instead of replying him, I raised my hand and slapped him across the left side of his face the strongest I was able to. The sound of my hand hitting his face probably echoed through the whole beach and it was probably heard all the way to my house. There was a large, red handprint left on his face, a great reminder of what I had done to him. And it looked kinda painful too.

I felt a river of tears streaming down my face and without saying another word I ran back to the beach and noticed my friends and Melissa's grandma observing me. I didn't care about the glances they were giving me nor how or when Mrs. Tanner got there, the only thing on my mind was to get as far away as possible from my feelingless boyfriend.

I heard Dyson calling for me and his steps following me, but soon I disappeared into the deeps of the ocean and headed to the one place that always calms me down - Ooha'oma.

**Destiny's POV**

Not even two minutes had passed after May and Dyson went to talk alone, when this terrible sound was heard. It sounded like a slap - a strong slap - and I kinda had in mind who was the one who received it.

"What was that?" Melissa asked. I could feel concern in her voice as she asked that.

I was about to answer her, when this familiar voice was heard: "Something obviously went wrong." I looked behind and saw Mrs. Tanner approaching Melissa and me with a worried look on her face. "The two of them should have a serious talk."

"Couldn't agree more", I muttered. All of a sudden there was May running away to the shoal and diving underwater and Dyson running after her, calling out for her and begging her to wait. Melissa and I decided to investigate and went over to Dyson, with Mrs. Tanner following close behind.

"Something wrong, Dyson?" he was questioned by Melissa.

"I just asked for a hair sample, nothing more. I haven't done anything bad", he said, turning around to face us. I was about to say some not really nice things to him, but seeing his red, slapped left cheek instantly made me shut up. Poor guy, he doesn't even realize what he had done wrong.

"Well, maybe that's the problem", I said, trying not to sound harsh.

"No, it's not supposed to be. Listen, I'm working on this super cool thing to make you girls waterproof and I needed her samples for that. She freaked out after I told her my intentions", he explained, putting his hand over his hurt cheek and muttering that she's a good hitter for a mermaid.

"Waterproof?" I gotta admit, I was kinda scared after hearing that. He wanted to make us waterproof? Was that even possible?

"Magic and science don't go along one with another", Mrs. Tanner said.

Dyson rolled his eyes. "May said the exactly same thing. But I still don't get it what's wrong with her…"

I took the tweezers out of his hand and pulled out my own hair, giving it to him. I told him he could've asked me, but he simply explained that if his project worked, he wanted May - as his girlfriend - to be half responsible for that. Oh, how sweet! He wanted her to participate, but she got it all wrong. Knowing May for so long, I knew it was hard to convince in someone's good intentions if she thinks they're bad. This was gonna be a tough job.

"Has it ever crossed your mind that May doesn't want you to experiment on her?" Melissa asked. Dyson just glared at her. "If I was her, I'd kill you."

"But she never told me what the exact problem is. And you said you'd like to be tested on."

Melissa simply rolled her eyes. "You just don't get sarcasm, do you? And I think May told you with her behavior that she doesn't want to be your guinea pig."

"I thought at least you would be smart enough to figure that out, but I guess I was wrong", I added.

Dyson's went pale and his face expression showed great sadness. "I screwed up, haven't I?"

I nodded. "Big time."

"Then I gotta talk to her", he said as he ran in the city direction. After a few steps made, he stood and turned to us once again and looked at Mrs. Tanner. "And science can beat magic, I'll prove it!"

**May's POV**

Speeding through the ocean, I could almost feel tears gathering in my eyes, ready to be let out once I reach the surface. But the problem was, I had no intention of reaching the surface. All I wanted was to swim and try to relax in this solitude - alone and apart from anyone else, especially _those_ I least wanted to see at the moment.

I always had the best opinion of Dyson. He seemed like a nice guy - which is rare in these modern times - and his kindness kinda attracted me to him. He was always there to help others and even ready to get in trouble for those he cared about. I remembered once he forgot his physics workbook and the teacher placed the two of us to sit together. As the classroom was crowded, the two of us were kinda pushed on each other. I don't think I have to tell you how my heart and body reacted at him being so close to me. He even did the workbook tasks _himself_ for me, even though his friend told him not to.

And now I felt so betrayed by him. He wanted to do tests on me for some stupid experiments. Making the girls and me waterproof - every fool could see that it was not going to work. Magic is a powerful thing and there is no science to oppose it. He should know that. But the little scientist in him must've told him otherwise. That's one of the reason I hate scientists - they always think they can do and know everything, when in fact they know little to nothing about something.

Once reaching my wanted location - the moon pool - I put my arms on the edge and put my head on them. Those tears I held back for so long finally broke free and my face instantly turned red due to them running down it. I started to sob as loud as I could due to being alone in the cave. Why did he have to do that to me? Why did he have to turn me into some experiment? Why?

I gotta admit, I was stupid for thinking he was a nice person. In times like this you really get to know what people are made of. He probably wanted to experiment on me from the very first time when he found out about my secret. This was probably just the beginning of his tests. I had to do something about it. He had no right to treat me like that. I'm a person too and I have feelings. I don't deserve to be treated like some science project!

That's when I heard that so known crash and I didn't even bother to look up. I already knew who the person is and there was no need to look up to prove it. He probably wanted more samples and there is no way I was about to give him.

"I won't give you any samples!" I yelled with a sharp voice. Shit! Now he knows I cried even though I wanted to hide it. There was no way I was gonna let him know he managed to break me - no sir! - I had to act tough. But what he said next surprised me.

"That's not why I'm here." I looked up and noticed a sad expression he wore. In fact, he looked like he cried too. He sat right next to my arms and looked down at me. "I came here… To say I'm sorry about everything."

"Are you really sorry or you just said so because you thought you had to?" It was a good question. I've met many people who only apologize so they can receive forgiveness from people so the others who made them apologize would stop bugging them. I kinda doubted Dyson was one of those people, but you never know.

Dyson took a deep breath and looked deeply into my eyes. "I really am sorry. I shouldn't have treated you like that."

I returned the eye-glance. His eyes… They looked so sad and desperate, full of pain and sorrow and repent. Even if he wanted to lie to me, his eyes would never be able to. They were the only obstacle for him to become a good liar. And at that moment I knew he was telling the truth.

"You really hurt me when you asked for samples. I just wanted a kiss, and you…" I spoke, swallowing and barely holding back my tears.

"I'm sorry. I was preoccupied with my research I haven't even noticed I hurt you." He leaned closer to me. "But I promise it's never happen again. Would you forgive me?"

"Are you sure it'll never happen again?"

"I promised. And I always keep my promises… Well, mostly. But you can trust me."

I smiled, but my smile instantly faded away after seeing that huge bruise my slap left on his face. I gently put my index finger on it, careful not to cause him pain. "I'm sorry for this, Dyson… I never meant to-"

He cut me off. "It's okay, it's okay. If I was you, I would've probably done the same to me. I really was a jerk. And it doesn't hurt. Well, okay, but only a little and when I touch it."

"You haven't deserved that,"

"I think I have. Don't worry about it. And I gotta tell you, for a mermaid, you sure hit strong!"

That last statement made me laugh. I slowly raised my head and gently put my hand over his hurt cheek, pulling him into a passionate kiss. Until now, I never realized his lips tasted so good. I guess people learn lots of things after being separated from their loved ones for a _long_ time.

As our lips separated, I curved my lips into a slight smile and observed Dyson's face expression - just now I found him looking funny with that slap mark on his face. But - of course - I sustained my laughter because I don't think a boy would like it if I just laughed at the injury he got from no one, but _me_.

But, in a second, my smile faded away again as I was ready to say something I wanted to say this whole damn day. "Dyson, there is something I need to tell you…"

He smiled at me. "I'm listening."

I swallowed and took a deep breath. "I don't ever want to hit you again and I don't want to be used as a science project, so… If there are more of these tests… Ever… I'm going to have to dump you."

Although I expected him to get a sad look, he continued smiling as he put his hand on my head and gently ran his fingers through my wet hair. "It's okay, I understand. No worries, you have my word. I'll never do any tests on you _or_ the girls again. Does that mean we get to stay a couple forever?"

I smiled. "We'll see." And with that, I pulled him into another kiss.

- H2O -

**Please review and no mean reviews! I want to at least reach 20 reviews - which means I need at least two more - or no next chapter, okay?**


	9. Poison Ivy

**As always, I really appreciate the reviews! Big hug to everyone who reviewed *hugs* I just forgot to mention, if you have any questions (about this story or just something random), feel free to ask me. Don't worry, I don't bite!**

**I got a B on my textile materials test this week (my test was one of the good ones because most of the tests were bad, almost all Ds and Fs) so I decided to do this chapter today out of happiness.**

**Dyson's POV**

Girls have finally agreed to help me clean up the path that leads to the cave entrance on Ooha'oma. Whenever I go there, I always end up hurt and it really became annoying to hide grass cuts and bruises from my parents. I dunno what I would say if they asked me where I've got them.

I gathered some needed equipment - including the grass cutter that I borrowed from May's dad - and headed towards the island with everything on my motorboat. Thank God, my boat was big enough that everything fit into it and I haven't sank yet, which was a good thing. As I came close to the beach, I noticed three female figures - two tall and one short - standing there with their arms crossed. One of them waved at me and I could see her smiling. Yup, those were the girls. We agreed that they'll wait for me there and - for once - they sticked to the agreement. And I had something to show them too.

As I parked my boat - as far away from water as possible so the girls do not get wet, of course - the girls came to me and helped me carry the equipment out. But before that, I got a big, delicious kiss from May. That girl liked me, I just knew it!

"How did you manage to get here without getting hurt?" I asked. Whenever I go to that cave, I always get those injuries, but there was no sign of even the smallest cut on the girls' bodies. I found it pretty strange.

"We swam and dried off here", May explained. Okay, it was not strange anymore. I felt stupid asking something like that.

The only sound I could product was the quiet: "Oh", before I suggested that we start our island 'makeover'. May just smiled at me as I kissed her cheek and she slightly blushed. Destiny rolled her eyes and ordered us to start working, while Melissa just laughed at the whole situation.

- H2O -

We were almost half way done and everyone was pretty tired, so we took a little break and went back to my boat to get some food. Since we knew this makeover would take lots of time, we agreed to pack some food and supplies for the day. Everyone out of four of us added something - whether it was a drink or a sandwich or some kind of a snack - so we had a pretty nice amount of food with us.

Finishing our lunch, we got back to the makeover so we could finish it before the night falls. It was already 5 pm and everyone was pretty tired - including myself. But what caught my attention was May's constant yawning - ever since we got to the island, I noticed giant black bags under her eyes: she probably hasn't slept very much. When I asked her if she's okay and even offered to do her work so she can go home and take some rest, she just said she's fine and that we should continue. I mean, I know she never slept for more than six hours, but she almost always seemed fine about it until today. I guess I was just being too overprotective.

"Dyson, we can't go there near the waterfall, we might get wet", Destiny spoke, shaking me out of my thoughts. I looked up and saw a huge waterfall spreading down half the volcanic mountain. Remember when I said I had something to show to the girls? Well, now was the right time for it.

"Don't you worry, ladies. The Dyson here has the cure for your water _vulnerability_", I spoke proudly.

May just frowned. "_The_ Dyson?"

"_The_ Dyson", I repeated and smirked. "Remember when I needed samples from you for a test? Well-"

Melissa cut me off. "How could I forget? You got slapped by May and she got angry at you."

I let out a slight, fake smile, remembering the painful memory I wanted to leave behind as I continued: "Well anyway, I made something to make you waterproof. I finally managed to finish it!"

Destiny and Melissa yelled: "Really?" and seemed terribly happy about it, while May simply rolled her eyes.

"We said no more tests or else you know what will happen."

I approached her and put my hands on her shoulders. "This is not a test. This is just… Trying out." Even though it was kind of a test, that was the best possible excuse I could think of at the moment. May just rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath, while I returned back to my boat and brought a small, blue 'deodorant', which was actually my 'invention'.

"Spray this on yourself", I said. Seeing that no one was willing to do it first, Destiny rolled her eyes and took the spray, spraying her arms and legs with it. She went to the small river the waterfall was making and put her fingers in it, then sat on the rock in case she transforms. But when nothing happened in about ten seconds, the girls all screamed in joy and sprayed themselves with my invention.

"This better not hurt me", May said harshly as she was the last one to spray herself, emptying my entire deodorant bottle.

"It will not, trust me." I was so sure it will not. Damn, I should've been more sure!

**Destiny's POV**

I was kinda thrilled that Dyson's spray worked, but was also a bit worried since it was Dyson's work, after all. He is a pretty good scientist for a fifteen-year old, but he also screws up as many times as he succeeds. I remember once in seventh grade, we had a chemistry project and he designed some liquid that is said to cure pimples instantly, but when he tested it on himself, it gave him a terrible rash that lasted for about two weeks. Even picturing that makes me shake in fear.

But since it was almost two years ago, I thought he improved. I mean, he liked Melissa, May and me - especially May - and he would never give anything to us before making sure it was safe. I just knew he would never do anything to hurt us so a little trust would be the least he expects.

After spraying with that thing, the girls and I successfully worked around the waterfall and managed to cut all the grass around it without growing tails when getting wet. It was already 6 pm and everyone was pretty tired, so we decided to go back home. As we headed to the beach, I felt something itching my face, legs and arms. Soon it became bright red and itched a lot. The girls had the same symptoms too.

"Dyson, what the hell is this?" I asked, thinking it was that spray he gave us. He was the only one unaffected and it seemed weird.

He just stared at me blankly, observing the rash. "It's probably the poison ivy. I think I saw it in the woods."

"But why aren't you affected?" May asked.

"You three were near the waterfall. I was not. Don't worry, just put some ice over it once you get home and everything will be okay. Trust me." I wish I could.

- H2O -

It's already been a week since the guys and I did a makeover on Ooha'oma. Now we even have a bridge in the forest over a river in case we go there for a walk or get moonstruck and someone already is there and sees us - we should thank Melissa and May for that since they convinced their dads to make it. The only thing we had to do was to post it there.

The grass was neatly cut and was cut-proof. We even made a path so we don't have to go through the whole forest in search for the cave entrance. Speaking of which, we cut the grass around it too so it looks prettier. We did a makeover in the cave too; just made the wall a bit prettier by removing all the ugly parts and cleaning off the small sand particles that were on the ground. We found a big rock in the forest and put it above the cave entrance so no one can enter it or even think there's something like a cave under it if they go there. Pretty smart, huh? It was my idea, actually. The only thing that sucked about the whole makeover was that poison ivy thing, but it was worth it. And Dyson's invention helped a lot, too.

And here I was now, meeting with the girls in the park. We thought about having a nice afternoon walk, but all our plans fell into water after seeing the scene a few meters away from us - Illene and Therese each holding a plastic bag full of water balloons, throwing said balloons onto each other like a group of five-year olds.

"I cannot believe this! They're always ruining everything", May groaned as she, Melissa and I sat on the bench and watched the playful twosome.

"Remember when we used to throw those at each other when we were five?" I glanced at May, who just smiled and nodded. I remember those times. Those were actually the good times and I'd gladly return to them. At least I haven't known those two bitches back then and I wasn't a fish. What can I tell you? Good times!

"I always used to beat my sister at it", Melissa said, taking a deep breath. "I hope they won't come near us."

Suddenly, Dyson appeared near us and kissed May's cheek. I have no idea when he get there since I haven't even seen him coming. Quiet guy he was, I gotta tell you. I noticed him taking the bottle of his waterproofing spray and proudly showing it to us.

"I did it! I'm a genius!" Okay, what the hell did he do now? I just had to ask him and I already kinda had a guess.

"Let me guess… You found out you're an alien left by his real family on Earth so Earthlings can adopt it and wonder what a computer-minded child they've adopted?"

He just rolled his eyes. "No. I managed to increase the capacity of this spray so from now on even if you put only a single, little drop of it, your whole body'll be waterproof."

The girls and I gave him awed looks. I gotta admit, he really impressed me. For some 15-year old wannabe scientist, he did really good. And believe it or not, there was more.

"And I managed to come up with a name: Aqua spray!"

Melissa laughed, May simply gave him a surprised look and I rolled my eyes. Aqua spray? How more dumb can it sound? Someone like him should come up with a more scientific sounding name. Maybe even with Latin name. But I mean, really? Aqua spray?

"What? That's how I called it." He probably noticed us being surprised and shocked about such a lame name for someone like him so he wanted to find the most acceptable excuse he could think of. "It's lame, I know, but it's the best I could think of. And I was too excited about it so I haven't really had time to think about the name."

He sprayed May's hand and took a small bottle of water from his back pocket. I wonder how big those pockets actually were when everything seemed to fit in them. He then opened the bottle and splashed May's other hand. She wanted to run away to the ocean, but he grabbed her hand.

"Again you don't trust me?" When he asked her this, he seemed really hurt that she didn't trust him. Poor baby! But thank god, she thought of a perfect excuse, even though it sounded a bit fake when she said it. She's usually a pretty good liar, except when she's with Dyson.

"No, of course I trust you. It's just my instinct. I'm used to running away from the water." Oh, please! You should've thought of something better to say. But anyway, it actually worked. Twenty seconds have passed and nothing happened. "You really did it!"

May put her arms around Dyson, pulling him into a passionate kiss. They stayed that way until Dyson stepped back and gently ran his finger down her cheek.

"I'll leave you guys with this so you can spray yourself. I gotta go buy myself something to eat, I still haven't eaten anything." He gave May one quick kiss and handed her the Aqua spray, after which he left to find the store.

Noticing Illene and Therese approaching us, I took the spray right out of May's hand and sprayed my arms a bit. Melissa and May did the same and soon the already small bottle was empty.

"Hi, gals", Illene said as she and Therese now stood right beside the bench. May immediately sat back down, seeing as they were holding the water balloons.

"Wanna have some fun?" Therese asked, holding up a big red water balloon. Even seeing it gave me chills. Even though I had Aqua spray on me, I still didn't want to get wet. What if it loses its power after a couple of minutes? Dyson haven't said anything about that.

"Don't you dare", Melissa said in a threatening tone. Illene just Therese just frowned.

"What? This? It's quite pretty, isn't it?"

I noticed May putting her hand behind her back and waving it. The balloon exploded in Therese's hand, making her whole body wet. I would expect some of the water to be on us too - since it was the balloon explosion - but I guess May took care of it. She, Melissa and I burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"It's not funny!" Illene yelled angrily, raising her hand in which she held a blue balloon. I could see tiny drops of water running over its plastic surface and it was enough for me to gulp… But it was also enough for Melissa to have fun.

Like May, she put her hand behind her back and did her stop-sign thingy, freezing the balloon's surface that touched Illene's hand, freezing it on it along. Illene waved her hand - trying to throw the balloon at us - but instead she let out a scream.

"It's frozen! My hand's frozen!" She yelled. I have to admit, she sounded kinda scared. Illene immediately went over to her to check on her hand, realizing it really was frozen.

But the fun wasn't over yet. May waved her hand again, making the balloon explode on both of them. The three of us burst into laughter again, while they screamed, annoyed. What made me laugh even more was the fact that when all her makeup was washed away by the water, Illene's makeupless face looked like that of a boy. Now I realize why she puts makeup on - to look like an actual woman! A pretty bad move since there was barely a difference, but hey - who can judge her? I would've done the same with a face like that. Even though I do wear makeup, I do it only because I like it. In my mermaid form I'm without makeup and I myself think I look fine.

"What the hell?" I heard the bitches yelling in disgust. Rolling my eyes, I got up and went over to a nearby tree, leaning against it and observing the sky. I was sick of everything and just wanted to be left alone. Have I asked too much?

**Melissa's POV**

A good move to leave, Destiny. A really good one. Going away from these two bitches was a smart idea. I was just about to g after her, but I felt someone grabbing my hand. Looking back, I saw Therese pulling me back.

"You're not going anywhere", she said in a playful tone. She reached out for her bag, taking out another water balloon. She was about to throw it at me, but I hit her hand, causing her to drop it.

But that - of course - didn't stop her from taking another one and looking and laughing at me sinisterly. I told her a couple of times not to do that or I might hurt her, but she just kept on laughing. I was just about to raise my hand to freeze the balloon and her hand with it, when she suddenly put her hand down and leaned her head closer to me, squinting her eyes to observe me carefully.

"What the hell? Maybe you should go home instead of being here. It seems you've got too much sun." While saying that, she actually sounded worried. But what was she talking about? I've got too much sun? How? I don't get it.

I heard Illene telling something similar to May and when I turned back to look at my friend, my mouth went wide and I put my hand over it in shock. May's whole face, arms, legs and neck were red - dark red - like she had some sort of a rash or something. Looking at her, I felt my body itching so I itched my hand, but widened my eyes at the sight of the very same redness happening to me. And it itched. It itched harder by every second.

I noticed May scratching herself too, before turning to me and ending up shocked just as I was. The two of us looked at Destiny, who was also scratching, but her 'rash' seemed to be a bit worse than ours. She returned us the glance as May went over to her, taking her hand and leading her to where I stood.

Without even questioning anything, we already had a pretty good idea of what caused all of this. "Dyson!" Poison ivy, like hell!

Holding our hands, we headed towards the store Dyson went to, only to find him a few meters away from it. He held a hot dog in one hand and a cell phone in the other.

"So, you know, mom, you just have to press - "

May cut him off by taking the phone out of his hand. "He'll call you back, Mrs. Zachary." And with that she hung up, returning the cell phone to its owner.

"Wow, you look angry", Dyson said, observing our red skin.

"What the hell did you do to us?" May asked in an angry tone.

He backed a step away. "Okay, listen. We can work this out. I just…"

"You just what? Tell us what the hell did you do to us!" I shrieked.

"Nothing", was the only, simple reply he could give. I just couldn't let him get away with this. The girls neither, but I... I was the most stubborn one.

"Nothing? Then What the hell is this?" I pointed to my red, itchy skin. "What did you put in that damned spray?"

"Oh, that", he spoke nervously - smiling - and backed away for another step, but we took a few steps to stand closer to him.

"I can make him blood evaporate", Destiny said, angered by the whole situation.

"Not before I freeze it", I raised my hand like Destiny did. What is it with people these days? Can't they just admit it when they're wrong?

May did the same. "I always wanted to see how it's like when person near you has a heart attack. I guess now is the right time to find out since my power allows it. It will be quick, don't worry. At least I heard it is."

Dyson's smile faded away and was replaced by a scared expression. I guess our words had a great effect on him. "Okay, okay, listen. You probably have some bad reaction to the ingredients I used, but - "

May cut him off. "What ingredients? You used out skin! Our DNA!"

"Well that, yeah." He continued. "Anyway, it should pass in couple of hours. At least that's how long the spray was supposed to work."

The girls and I glanced at each other. Should we trust him or not? I mean, Dyson had his moments, but he would never do anything to hurt us in any possible - and impossible - way. At least not on purpose. But he had to be taught a lesson.

"I dunno. He doesn't sound pretty convincing to me. Maybe he's just saying this so he can get away with everything", Destiny said.

I nodded. "I agree. How do we know he's actually telling the truth?"

"Why don't we mix our powers instead of using them separately? Then maybe he learns his lesson", May smirked.

"We can do that", I agreed. Destiny nodded in agreement.

Dyson made a step back again and cleared his throat. He was obviously scared of us. He had a pretty good reason to be. "I'd never lie to you. Ever!" He looked into May's eyes and tried to smile, but her serious expression made him erase that smile immediately.

"You're so dead!" May threatened then turned to Des and I and the three of us ran towards the pier, jumping into the ocean and heading towards Ooha'oma.

**May's POV**

The girls and I pretty quickly made it to the moon pool. We got up and as Destiny dried us off, we instantly took our cell phones to check out our face condition. Just as I thought, it was as bad as the one on arms and legs. But the rash became a bit easier to handle and the redness slightly started disappearing.

Damn, how I hate Dyson for this! I knew from the very beginning this was a bad idea, but who listens to me anyway? And I quite sure he knew from the very beginning this was now from the poison ivy, but his _brilliant_ invention. Don't get me wrong - I really love my boyfriend and care deeply for him, but at times he can be pretty stupid.

"I hope it'll disappear soon", Melissa whined as she sat on the stone ground and hugged her legs with her arms. She took a lock of her hair and nervously curled it with her finger over and over again that it became annoying.

Destiny checked her looks in her cell phone's screen again and growled. "Your boyfriend will so pay for this, May. I even cooperated by giving him a hair sample voluntarily and what does he do in return? Gives me a rash!"

"I told him not to mix science and magic, but he just had to be a smartass!" I rolled my eyes at the very thought of him and closed them to calm myself down. But it was pretty hard to get call because I kept seeing Dyson holding his Aqua spray in my head. _I should hunt him down like an animal and rip his head off so he doesn't forget what he did to us. And those two bitches just had to see us like that. When school starts again, we're screwed!_

A sound of something landing in the cave shook me out of my thoughts. Opening my eyes, I saw Dyson getting up and observing the three of us with a guilty look on his face. I think he was pretty aware of what he did and something told me he was here to apologize.

"Let me tell you I'm really sorry for everything that happened to you guys. It really wasn't intentional." Ooh, I was right. He did come to apologize. Too bad we were not in the mood of accepting apologies. At least I was not.

"And what if something bad happened? We could've died!" Melissa shrieked.

Dyson looked down, ashamed. "I know. I'm sorry."

Yup, he was sorry, but apologizing won't cure the rash we had at the moment, now will it? And there was something else I wanted to confirm if it was true. "Dyson, did you know it was not the poison ivy that gave us a rash during the last week? Were you aware that it was this thing of yours?"

"I…" he muttered, unable to finish his sentence. I heard him gulping and taking a deep breath. "I…"

"You knew? Why haven't you said anything instead of being persistent with that spray?" Destiny snapped.

"I wanted to be right." Okay, now we're being honest and talking. "Even though both May and Mrs. Tanner told me not to mix science and magic, I wanted to prove them wrong. Science in most cases succeeds and I just wanted it to succeed this time too. I guess I just… Refused to believe in magic. I knew it was not the poison ivy all along, so I decided to upgrade Aqua test and gave you an upgraded version of it today, thinking it would work properly this time. But instead… It did this. I lied that it was poison ivy since it seemed appropriate because it was there, but poison ivy reactions are different than this. But look at the bright side: at least you girls know you're not allergic to poison ivy!"

My eyes went wide at the sound of what he said. Look at the bright side? He knew it was his spray that caused everything and tried to correct himself by making it worse? He used the girls and I as his guinea pigs? This just couldn't go without consequences. I had to do something to make him pay for what he did. "You really are a moron!"

He cleared his throat. "Even the best scientists make mistakes. And you know the old phrase: people learn from their mistakes."

'People learn from their mistakes?' This really angered me. He just admitted he used us as guinea pigs and wanted to use us more like that since people learn from their mistakes. Furious, I raised my hand and levitated a small water ball out of the moon pool and threw it hard at Dyson, making him fall back and hit the wall with his back.

"I can't believe you just said that! I don't think I'll be able to trust you anymore!" I yelled. I felt a single tear running down my cheek and quickly wiped it away.

"I'm really sorry, guys. I promise it'll never happen again. I promise, you can trust me."

Melissa shook her head. "I don't think we can."

Dyson sighed and gulped. "Please, give me another chance to prove to you I'll treat you with respect this time. Please. No more tests, no more anything. I swear!"

Destiny looked at Melissa and me. "Should we trust him?"

That was a pretty good question. After all he did, do we have a reason to trust him? He could disappoint us again by doing some more tests without us even knowing what he's doing. I thought he was a nice guy, but with his actions he proved different. He did try to help, but did it the wrong way. Should I really forget everything and give him another chance?

"I think we should." Melissa broke the uncomfortable silence.

I slightly nodded. "Okay, I also think we should." I noticed him smiling again. He probably thought it was going to be easy. "_But_, no more tests in any kind of way. If you repeat this - I promise - not only I will dump you, but will make this ocean swallow you." 

Destiny smirked. "Did we make ourselves clear?"

Dyson nodded and sighed in relief. "You did. You have my word of not repeating this ever again."

- H2O -

**I know this is similar to the original series, but it is H2O after all. Dyson just had to screw up somehow and I had no idea how so this is the first that came to mind, but the poison ivy fact was kinda **_**in place**_**. Please review about the **_**actual**_** chapter, but please don't say mean things. I don't want to be disappointed in my readers. If you won't review, I won't update anymore.**


	10. Ms Responsibility

**Huge thanks to my reviewers! You really made my day! Here you go, the next chapter:**

**May's POV**

Melissa and I were seated in front of the computer in my room, watching Pokémon on YouTube. We loved that anime! It brought back a lot of childhood memories. We laughed at some hilarious scene, when a knock on the door interrupted us. I immediately removed the tab - due to the two of us wanting to keep a secret of what we were watching - and went to unlock the door.

"Who is it?" I said as I turned the key.

"_It's me, Destiny_", female voice replied from the other side.

As I unlocked the door, Destiny entered my room and sat on the bed. I locked the door again and sat next to her, leaving Melissa surf the net alone. I noticed Destiny wearing a big smile on her face, indicating that something good has happened.

"What did you do?" I asked, suspicious. Des wearing that kind of a smile was bad news - she must've done something.

"I've got a job", she stated proudly.

Melissa instantly got up and went over to her to hug her. "That's great!"

"It sure is", I agreed and tapped Destiny's shoulder. "And where are you working?"

"I'll be selling ice cream in Sea Life."

Room was instantly bathed in silence. Sea Life? Is she crazy? Everyone knows Sea Life is a bad place for a mermaid: it's wet, full of dolphins, water, sea animals, wet games and sports activities etc. What the hell was she thinking?

"What if you get wet?" Asked Melissa. Good question! We were worried for a reason. We wouldn't want our secret to be spoiled because of her new job. Why did she need a job anyway? I don't have it and have no intent of having it.

"I won't get wet", Destiny reassured us, "And even if I do, I have a power to dry off."

"Are you sure?" I asked. I had no intention not to trust my friend - especially since she's the oldest of the three of us - but the risk was too big and it wouldn't be a really nice thing if someone discovered our secret. Too many people already knew.

Destiny just nodded. "I am. Don't worry, everything will be okay. I can take care of myself."

Melissa and I nodded in agreement. We sat back at the computer desk and went back to YouTube, this time watching '_The worst bank robberies'_ video. We laughed at all those morons in it, but the joy had to be put to an end after I saw what time it was. It was noon already and at one I had a lunch at Dyson's to meet his parents. I did meet them sometimes at PTA meeting, but it was only when we said 'Hello' and 'Good bye'.

"Sorry girls, but you have to leave. I have a lunch at Dyson's."

Destiny and Melissa groaned as they got up and headed to the door.

"See you later", they greeted.

"See you later", I replied. Oh, dear. This will be a long day.

**Destiny's POV**

Standing in the middle of the Sea Life, I stared at the small ice cream stand. Even though it was pretty hot outside, I was dressed into knee-length dark jeans and red jersey shirt. Damn it! I should've put on a swimsuit instead - maybe then it wouldn't be so damn hot!

A few meters away from me was a huge rollercoaster that splashed water at everything and everyone around it. The very look at it gave me chills. I kept thinking that it will splash me. I turned my look away from it and pointed it at Diane Shaw, my boss. She was a short, middle-aged woman, clad in formal - AKA boring - clothes. She was chubby and tanned and had short blond hair. She was explaining to me all the rules and everything and I was supposed to listen to her, but that damned rollercoaster kept bugging me.

"Any questions?" Mrs. Shaw asked in friendly tone.

Yeah. Can you explain everything again to me because I haven't heard a word of what you've said because I couldn't keep my eyes off of that stupid rollercoaster. That0s what I should've said, but instead I shook my head. "No, everything's clear. Thank you." Oh, boy. I hope this long day ends fast.

**May's POV**

After walking for almost half an hour, I finally managed to get to Dyson's house. I've never been there, but I knew his house number so it was pretty easy to find it. Melissa also said that his house will be pretty obvious and that it stands out in the neighborhood and now that I'm here, I finally understand why.

His house was big, like one of those mansions rich people have. His yard was huge and there was a big garden with lots of flowers and plants that made the house even prettier. I guess that's life for you if your mom's a lawyer.

I knocked at the door and in an instant they were open by Dyson, who just smiled at me and approached me to give me a kiss on the lips.

"You're here", he said, sounding surprised by my appearance. "And you look nice."

"Thanks… I guess." I blushed. Was that a compliment or he just said that because he thought he had to? I wasn't wearing anything special - just light blue tunic with a big crystal-edged heart, knee-length tights and pink ballet flats.

Dyson took me to the dining room, where his parents and I greeted each other. They sounded nice and polite, which made me instantly like them. His mom was still putting the lunch at the table, while her dad helped her organize plates and that sort of things.

"I don't think this is a good idea", I whispered to him.

"What are you talking about? Of course it is", he said.

"I'm embarrassed."

"There's no reason to be embarrassed. Come on, let's sit. My sister will be so excited to see you."

I widened my eyes in shock. "Your sister? Isn't she in San Francisco on college?"

Dyson shook his head. "Irma has a week off, so she decided to visit."

I was just about to say something, when Mrs. Zachary interrupted me by saying: "The lunch's ready!"

Dyson and I went over to the table and sat as close to each other as possible. I was still nervous about the whole thing and he took my hand to calm me down, when I saw a person that made me even more nervous - his sister, Irma Zachary. She was a short, chubby, bleached blonde haired and milky-white tanned girl. She sat at the table across us and gave me a fake smile. There was something about her that made me even more nervous and I became more convinced that this lunch was not a good idea at all.

-H2O-

"How long are you and my brother together?" Irma asked in a serious tone.

As I ate soup, I put the spoon down into the plate and raised my head. "Around month and a half", I replied. I thought that by replying I'll get rid of that death glare I was getting from her, but it was just the beginning.

"Is he your first boyfriend?" Irma continued her little questioning.

I nodded. Irma kept observing me like I'm some kind of a murderer or intruder and couldn't keep her big blue eyes off of me.

"That's a pretty long lasted relationship for a first one", she noticed and put her spoon down. "Are you nice to him?"

"Why?" I don't get it - what was she implying at by asking am I nice to Dyson? That I'm abusing him?

"I want to know how you treat him."

Okay, that was way too much for me. First she can't keep her eyes off of me and then asks me stupid questions. It was obvious Irma didn't like me and she didn't even try to hide it. So I decided to play her own game. I retaliated the glare and put my hand under the table, squeezing Dyson's. He probably noticed tensions between the two of us and decided to cool things down.

"Okay, okay, okay. Can we talk about something else? For example, Irma, how's coll-"

"Why aren't you answering me?" Irma cut him off with another question addressed to me. Although she talked quietly, the presence of anger in her voice was pretty easy to detect.

I instantly let go of Dyson's hand and put my hand on my lap. I was sick and tired of her questions like I'm in some kind of a police station. I slowly waved my hand, making the soup on Irma's plate explode all over her. Mrs. and Mr. Zachary looked at Irma in shock, while she growled and stormed out of the dining room.

"I'm really sorry, May", Mrs. Zachary apologized for her daughter's behavior. "She usually isn't like that."

I curved my lips into a pale smile, while Dyson gave me a serious look and shook his head unapprovingly. "Way to go, May", he whispered with a dose of sarcasm.

**Melissa's POV**

_She looked into his velvet eyes filled with emptiness. They looked so emotionless and have lost the bright light they always radiated with. The very look into them made her shiver and tears streamed down her face like a fast river. "We have to find a spell to reverse it. We can't just let him stay like this forever", she spoke to her friends with a raspy voice. "I can't stand to watch him in this state."_

"_We'll find a spell", Luciana said, very confident in her words. She put a hand onto Chloe's shoulder to comfort her. "And we'll kill that witch who did this. I promise it to you."_

_Chloe wiped her tears away and closed her eyes. She nodded and hugged her friend as a' thank you' for the words of encouragement. They will find the witch for sure, and make her feel the pain she caused them. They were said to be the most powerful of all and such a low-leveled witch was like a piece of cake for them to handle - she was one of those people who shouldn't mess with them._

I closed the notebook and took a deep breath of fresh air. Sitting on the edge of the pier sure had its advantages - you could always get inspiration by only observing the ocean shimmering under the sunlight.

Ever since Destiny, May and I became mermaids I've been writing this book about the three of us being witches. I had the idea for it for quite a long time and us becoming mermaids made me finally start writing. In my book, called 'The Power Of Three' - very original - May is called Chloe, Destiny is Erica and I'm Luciana. We have powers similar to our real life ones, meaning Chloe can move thing with her mind, Erica can blow things up and I can freeze time. This book means very much to me and I always keep it close. I showed it to the girls and May liked it, but Des just said she doesn't care, although she did find it funny when she blew herself up in the first chapter when she first got her power.

I glanced at the bright sky and smiled as the clouds covered the sun and made a shadow that lasted for a couple of minutes. I got bored writing my book and decided to find something else to do. But what? I would like to go for a swim, but when I get bored of it, Destiny won't be there to dry me off and I'll be too lazy to wait. So what else could I do?

I could go shopping, but I'm not sure I'll be able to buy something nice with a dollar since I spent all my allowance. I could start a new chapter of my book, but I'll get bored by it in a second since I couldn't wait to finish the last one.

After minutes of thinking, it finally came to me - I'll go visit Destiny at the marine park. I could go see how she's handling her first day and even buy some ice cream with this poor one dollar I had. It sounded like a good idea! Why haven't I thought of that earlier?

**Destiny's POV**

I crouched by the stand, trying to avoid the sun and its light - the damn star just had to be right in front of me and send its light into my eyes. My head already began to hurt and I regretted that I haven't brought an Aspirin with me when I went to work. The day way boring and too hot so there were not many people at the marine park that day. The only thing that stopped me from going to the boss' office and quitting was the desire for the new clothes - holidays were coming to an end as the days passed by and my parents were kinda broke so I had to get money for the new outfit myself.

I turned to one of the many pools dolphins swam in and eyed the pool in search for those aquatic mammals. I saw a couple of them swimming and sighed. _I should be swimming like them instead of standing here on the sun_, I spoke in my head. I admit it - I was jealous of the dolphins. I wanted to swim too and desire was so big I almost jumped into the pool with them.

One of the dolphins dove his head out and approached the edge, where I was standing. It squealed happily, making me role my eyes. I never liked squealing, especially not that loud one. Why did dolphins have to squeal when they're happy, anyway?

"Shut up!" I ordered, but it squealed even more. It turned on its left side and waved his tail, splashing waster all over me.

I jumped a step back and almost let out a shriek, but managed to sustain myself. What was I supposed to do now? There was no place to run away or hide. I couldn't hide behind the stand either because what if someone wanted to buy ice cream and found me like this?

That's when I came up with a plan. I looked around to convince myself that there was nobody around me and jumped into the pool. I observed my legs becoming a tail, after which I swam to the bottom in fear of someone seeing me. What if there was someone above me right now, taking pictures of me and calling everyone to see me?

I just had to be sure I was alone so I dove out and once again proved I'm all alone. The very same dolphin that splashed me swam to me and began swimming around me. He still squealed, but a bit quieter. I dove under the water again and found five more dolphins around me. Although I was angry at the dolphin that made me jump into the pool by splashing me, I couldn't help but smile. I put my hand on one's dorsal fin and swam along with it.

**May's POV**

"So, May, you and Dyson go to the same class?" Mrs. Zachary asked. Although the answer was pretty obvious, I think she just tried to break uncomfortable silence that was there after Irma left the dining room.

"I used to", I replied, "But I don't know with who I'll be going with when we start high."

Mr. Zachary smiled. "Your dad and I very often work together. He's a good man."

I returned the smile, feeling even more uncomfortable. My dad a good man? Well, that's a good mask he has to hide his true face in front of his colleagues. And I was not gonna spend the entrie lunch talking about my dad, was I?

Dyson probably noticed the nervousness on my face and cut another piece of chocolate cake, offering me. I declined and he put it on his plate. I was already stuffed and if I ate any more, I think I'd explode.

"I ate too much", I said.

Mrs. Zachary gave me a worried look. "Nonsense! You only ate a plate of soup, a piece of grilled pork and a piece of cake. Don't be ashamed."

I shook my head. "I'm not ashamed. I just can't eat anymore. Really. I can't."

**Melissa's POV**

Still holding a mechanic pencil and a notebook in my hand, I walked around huge marine park - the Sea Life - in search for Destiny. It was like the earth swallowed her since she - nor her stand - was nowhere to be found. I saw a middle-aged woman talking to some dolphin trainers and - concluding that she was the boss - decided to ask her about Dess.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, do you by any chance know where Destiny Bain is?" I asked, trying to sound as polite as possible.

The woman turned to me and gave me a warm smile. "She works there between those pools and rollercoaster, honey", she said, pointing her hand at the right side.

I thanked her and went the way she showed me to go. I found the stand and the pools, but still no sight of Destiny. Where could she possible be? I looked around, but still no sight of her. She couldn't just disappear, could she?

I was just about to go search for her somewhere else, when in one of the pools I saw something bronze - like my tail - swimming with the dolphins. As I crouched to look closer at it, I could resemble a big mermaid tail, pale skin, long hands and long dark hair. There was no one else who could be there but her - Destiny!

I came closer to the edge of the pool and called for her, but she didn't seem to hear me since she was in the water. I had to get her attention somehow, but how? What could I possibly do to make her notice me?

Then it came to me - I could use my power. Looking around one last time to be sure no one was near, I raised my hand above the pool, cooling the water temperature down. I figured that if she was smart enough, she could recognize it was me by recognizing my power.

But after a couple of minutes of keeping the water colder, I realized she was not so smart I thought she was. So I cooled the water down even more. Yes, I know I could've hurt the dolphins, but what was I supposed to do? Let her stay there forever?

One of the dolphins dove out and approached me, squealing playfully as I smiled at him. Seeing his sad face, I put my hand down, giving up my try. I wanted to save my friend, yeah, but there was no way I could hurt such an innocent being. That's when I saw Destiny's head going out of the water.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked, obviously annoyed by the situation. I really wanted to know what she'll say in her defense.

"Swimming?" her answer sounded more like a question than an answer. And what kind of an answer is that? 'Swimming'? I mean, really! I expected different behavior from someone like her.

"I cannot believe you just did that!"

Destiny gave me an innocent look. "It's not my fault. The dolphin splashed me."

I simply rolled my eyes. That was not the answer she was supposed to give. "Well why didn't you use your power then?"

She gulped. "Well… You see… I was having fun."

"Ah, you were having fun", I said and smiled for a moment to fool her. She smiled too, but my smile was in a second replaced by a look of anger. "Get out. Now!"

Without complaining, Destiny obeyed and quickly dried herself off with her power. "I'll quit", she said after a few minutes of two of us just staring at each other.

I nodded. "I think it would be the only smart thing you'd do today."

-H2O-

"…And then I splashed soup all over her." We were at the moon pool that evening; we decided to take a break from the wild day. And I gotta tell you, May's stories about her lunch at Dyson's made me laugh really hard. I knew his sister ever since they moved here and she was always nice to me. I guess she just disliked the girls that are her brother's actual girlfriends.

"And I quit", Destiny added. "After a nice swim with the dolphins." She probably noticed May giving her a glare and decided to explain everything. "No one actually saw me… Well, almost no one." She looked at me with a sad expression; I was still mad at her, but she was my friend so I think it would be a right thing to forgive her.

-H2O-

**You know the procedure: review and you'll get the next chapter :)**


	11. Play With Powers

**Thank you, my reviewers for reviewing the last chapter! Hope you enjoy this one, I had fun writing it.**

**Destiny's POV**

Sun's golden wires struck my eyes through the open window, forcing me to get up and greet the new day. Taking the cell phone from under my pillow - all sleepy and tousle-haired - I found my way to the kitchen. Sitting at the soft, red couch, I stretched my arms and yawned. Checking the time on my cell phone, I discovered it was nine am - way too early for me since I usually get up at around eleven and twelve.

"No good morning, no nothing?" O squinted my eyes, trying to find the person whose voice addressed me - even though I knew perfectly fine it was my mother, I wanted to see where she was. And then I found her by the stove, cooking some kind of orange puddle called lunch by her.

I rolled my eyes and forced myself to communicate with her. I had to look at the bright side - if I communicate now, she won't bother me anymore. At least I thought so. The two of us always argued about something, it being school, dating, boys, friends, internet, Facebook didn't really matter to her - she just wanted to argue. And I argued back. It's not as I'd let someone fuck with me, her being my mom doesn't change anything.

"Isn't it a bit late? You should've been up hours ago!" Mom pointed a that-was-not-like-this-when-I-was-your-age look at me, making me roll my eyes once again. Man, was she a pain in the ass! Her preaching stopped bothering me a long time ago, but it still annoyed me. How a woman can be annoying, that's incredible!

"Actually, it is early", I said with a dose of arrogance in my voice.

Mom just rolled her eyes. "What that computer does to you… If you ask me, those shouldn't be produced anymore."

"Well, no one asks you", I said, "And if someone does, we'd still live in the middle age."

"Your father went to work this morning at five!" mom quickly changed the subject. She always does that when she has no other arguments and when is proven to be wrong - that's the similarity between her and May's mom. "You could learn something from him."

"He's a fisherman! Of course he goes to work that early!"

"Whatever!"

"What're you cookin'?" I asked, trying to make the tension go away.

Mom just sighed. "Beans. And yes, I know you dislike it, but deal with it. I don't care."

I sighed as well. Mom cooked beans trice a week even though I told her - even begged her - to cook something I like for a change. I always had to go to the bakery to buy myself something else to eat - like hamburger, pizza or something like that - and that junk food didn't really help me to lose weight, something I wanted with all my heart.

Looking at that reddish sauce got me thinking - what would happen if I _cooked_ it up for a bit? Would it hurt? Or just itch? I mean, with a clench of my fingers that sauce could be overcooked in a second. I've always wanted to do something like that to my mom, to make her feel my pain. I guess now was the right time for my intentions to become true.

Putting my right hand down onto my leg, I clenched my fingers; balling them into a fist, making the sauce become hotter and hotter every second. Reaching its peak, the sauce suddenly exploded all over the stove and clean, white walls - but more importantly, a part of I ended up on my mom's shirt. She screamed in shock - or was it pain due to the small skin irritation - and went over to the sink to wash up.

While she was head over heels in panic, I couldn't keep the smile away from my face. For some unknown reason, the _event_ I caused was hilarious to me, even though a normal person would probably cry if they did something like this - a normal person wouldn't even _do_ something like this. But I guess I'm not a normal person so it's allowed to me, isn't it?

**Melissa's POV**

"Come on, Misty! You're in there for half an hour already! There won't be any hot water left for me!" I screamed as I slammed my fist hard against the bathroom door. I mean, what the hell was Misty's problem, anyway? Why did she always have to use all the hot water for her _little_ shower and leave none for me? I'd never do that to her - well, not on purpose. She obviously thought only about herself and no one else. Maybe I should become just like her to show her how it feels to be a victim of a sister bulling.

"Be patient, Melissa! Gee, you're such a granny!" Misty counterattacked. I heard her boosting her usage of hot water just to annoy me. "Now I won't even leave you any when you're like that!"

I rolled my eyes, trying to think of a way to make Misty leave the bathroom. What was I supposed to do to make her get out and leave me alone? I tried to think of something on her level so we can be even, but what was it?

Then it came to me. I know, I'm a genius. I smirked, gently leaning my hand against the door. If she won't come out the easy way, then I'll make her go the hard way.

Suddenly I heard her screaming and in an instant she left the bathroom covered with nothing more than a towel tied around her body. While going out, she gave me a scared and confused look, after which she ran away. What the hell was wrong with her?

As soon as she was gone, I burst into laughter. I cannot believe how easy that was. And all I had to do was raise my hand. I approached the bathtub and saw lots of little ice cubes. I guess that's when bigger kids go to the level of small kids. And it feels so good. I actually like to have this power - it's good to always be able to cool the things down.

**May's POV**

Sitting at the kitchen table, I yawned and stretched my arms wide. I slowly got up and went to take the glass due to that terrible thirstiness that bugs me every morning. I barely reached for a glass and somehow managed to make it stay in my hand without falling down and breaking into thousands of pieces. Yes, I admit it, I was a lazy person - I still am - but I was also not a morning person. That morning it was only 9 am - way too early for me since I usually get up at around one or noon. What can I do? I wanna spend my summer holidays properly - and I went to sleep at 4 am so you can quite imagine how I was like. If there was no my dad's snoring, I would've slept longer, but ever since he took the summer break from work, I never got much sleep. Why did men have to snore so loud anyway?

I couldn't stand it be standing up so I returned to the table and sat down on the chair to rest. I put the glass on the table and buried my head into my hands. Man was I tired! But soon I'll go to my therapy - meaning long morning swim - and feel at least a bit better.

But I was still thirsty and there was no way of going over to the sink - it was five meters away from me, it's too far! So I thought of an easy way to get myself water.

I looked around myself to make sure there's no one in the kitchen - mom went to her friends' and dad was still sleeping - and then pointed my look to the sink. I held my hand up and waved my hand, making a small amount of - in a form of a water ball - water come out the faucet and floated it over to myself. I carefully shaped the ball into a rectangle and placed it into my glass. Luckily, I filled the whole glass and there was no extra water to throw. I smiled, proud of myself. I was getting better and better at this as the days went by.

"Remind me again why are you awake this _early_?" I looked up and saw my dad - wearing shorts - approaching the bar and put some milk and cereal into a small bowl. Great! Why did he have to wake up now? He could've waited till I was gone for my swim.

"I didn't sleep", I explained, trying to hold back the anger I felt. It was his fault after all! "I _couldn't_. I'm a bit sleepy now, but I'll manage."

"At least now you know how I feel when I work nights. But now that I'm on a vacation everything's fine." Yup, all he ever did was complain how he mostly worked nights and had little sleep. Well it's not my fault he decided to be a policeman! He picked it himself.

"Don't remind me." I sighed. I liked it when he worked because we always argue when he's at home. And by always I mean literally _always_. Even on holidays.

"Don't complain later of how tired you are", dad said.

I gave him a death glare. "When do I ever complain? You're the one who complains all the time! And I can't sleep because of your snoring!"

"It's not my fault I snore!"

"Well, it's not mine either! Why don't you go to your doctors' and get yourself one of those machines that stand next to the bed and stop snoring! Oh, yeah! You don't even know who your doctor is!"

"Where do I get the money for that?"

"And where do you get money for cigarettes?"

"That's all I've got!" I rolled my eyes at this statement. Mom and dad always used to buy cigarettes and then complained of how they don't have money. Although I was already used to it, I always argued with them about it. Sometimes arguing was fun - add my power involved - and at that moment it was just about to become fun.

I glanced at the milk in the cereal bowl dad was eating and smirked. _Come on, May, you can do it. Just do your hand movement. Nice and slow. Easy, be relaxed. Nothing's gonna go wrong._ I waved my hand, making the milk explode all over my father. Her began to swear and curse out loud, making me laugh so hard my stomach began to hurt.

"Just you laugh", dad muttered as he went to take care of the mess.

"Oh, I so will", I replied.

**Misty's POV**

Ever since I was little, I always had this doubt that something about Melissa is out of the ordinary. She never hung out with me, played with me with Barbies or helped me with my schoolwork - even though I was a better student than she'll ever be. She was always by herself and her notebooks, writing something down - it think it was a diary. I've never seen any of those _diaries_ - even though I searched pretty hard, they were nowhere to be found.

When we moved here, for the first time in her life Melissa found herself friends and began to completely ignore me to hang out with them. She wrote a bit less diary and hung out more with May and Destiny. I've met those girls and they seemed pretty nice - too nice to be around someone like Melissa. But those girls, they… They seemed weird too, like Melissa. There was just something about them that made me think they were not as ordinary as one would expect.

And now that this shower accident happened - the shower water turned into ice cubes - I decided to investigate a bit around Melissa's room while she's taking a bath. I somehow had a suspicion that she was guilty for this since this kind of _accidents_ used to happen a lot lately - my tongue is often frozen, I always slip around the house since there is always some ice on the floor, the drinks and water balloons I take with myself to play with my friends are mostly frozen and many other things like this.

You might laugh at this statement, but deep down in my mind I had this weird thought about Misty - but not about her, but about May and Destiny as well. I always thought there was something magical about them and that they are friends because there is this bond that binds them together - they're witches! Although all these strange events made me think that, I still needed proof for my beliefs. And the only way to get to that proof was to investigate Melissa's room and try to find something out of_ ordinary_.

I opened the big door and tip-toed into my sister's room, before quietly closing the door. I knew I didn't have much time, so I had to be fast. But I also had no idea what I was looking for. A drawing? Pictures? Videotapes? Or maybe… Maybe a diary! I see Melissa with some black notebook of hers every day. Maybe that's it. But where would she be hiding it? Where would be a good place for something that has to be hidden at all matters?

I checked all the closets and cupboards, desk drawers and all available places and found nothing. Man, that girl was good with hiding things! But I had to find a way to outsmart her. So let's see; if you were easily annoyed and grumpy teenager, where would you hide your things? _Somewhere around your bed._

That's it! Why haven't I thought of this earlier? The bed was a logical option. I immediately looked under it and found _only_ a ton of weird things, lots of dust and spider web probably centuries old - I guess this is how Melissa cleans her room. I should try it somehow.

After looking under the bed, I went to the upper part. I checked the sheets and the blanket and - finally - under a pillow and bingo! Under the pillow laid a big, hard edged, black notebook with a golden colored drawing of a Charmed tv show's symbol on its front side.

Making everything look as it looked before I touched anything, I put the notebook under my T-shirt and left the room as fast as I could. I couldn't wait to read the notebook's content - it had to be something top secret since Melissa tried hard to hide it. Well, I guess I'll see what it's all about pretty soon.

-H2O-

I locked the door behind me and laid on my bed, doing my best to relax and read Melissa's _diary_ on peace. I carefully opened the notebook and saw the big title 'The Power of Three'. Must be how the three of them call themselves. Wait, what's this about the power. And just as I saw that title, I turned to the next page and began reading.

"_The sun rose up highly in the sky; its golden rays shimmering on the ocean's surface. The air seemed hot and for some reason it smelled like a hot chocolate and mint put together. Three girls sat alone in the beach and observed the ocean; smiling and laughing at the jokes the youngest one - Chloe - was telling._

_Chloe was the comedian of the three; she liked to joke around and have fun. Her whole life contained fun, fun and nothing else but fun. Her shoulder-length dark brown hair went perfectly with her bronze tan and oval-shaped face - it often made her friend, Luciana, jealous of her._

''_Let's go back home, I don't feel right about this trip'', the oldest girl - Erica - suggested. Erica was also the most responsible one in the threesome. She always thought before actually doing something and so far doing things that way's been nothing but helpful to her. Her hair was the same color as the one of Chloe, but was for a few inches longer. She was tall - the tallest of the three - and her skin was as pale as milk._

_Luciana - the shortest and the girl in' the middle' - as always disagreed with Erica. The two of them were different in all possible ways; Luciana was into supernatural, Erica was not, Luciana liked to swim, Erica was scared of the water, Luciana believed in magic, Erica thought it was stupid. And now that they were camping on this abandoned island - named Ooha'oma by the people in Hawaii - Luciana saw it as a great chance for an adventure, while Erica saw it only as a waste of time. She only agreed to come because Luciana and Chloe were going and she didn't want to be alone for the weekend."_

Wait, a camping trip? Weren't Melissa, May and Destiny camping at Ooha'oma a bit more than a month ago? And these girls sound awfully a lot like them. There was something suspicious about this story and I think I really was a diary - Melissa probably just changed the names so if someone sees it doesn't relate it to her and the girls.

Reading farther, I noticed many funny scenes - scenes that are pretty realistic to happen to the girls. But when I came to an end of _chapter one _- called 'Enchanted', by the way - and went to read a new chapter - 'Powered' - I shocked as I read the part that seemed so familiar that was definitely nothing but real.

"_Luciana entered the kitchen and noticed her younger sister Kylie playing with something in her hand. And that something wasn't just Kylie's ordinary toy, but Luciana's new, fashionable dress. But her so loved dress was now ruined - Kylie used it as a paper and drew and colored many things on it._

'_You fricking brat!' Luciana shrieked as she grabbed the dress out of Kylie's hands. "Look what you did, you little bitch!"_

_But at her comment Kylie did nothing but smile evilly - she finally reached her final goal of the day, which was to ruin something of her sister's. But Luciana was not letting this go without consequences. She raised her hand - about to slap Kylie hard - when suddenly Kylie's body completely stopped as if it was frozen in time. Luciana glared first at her sister, then at her hand and smiled._

I knew magic was real, _she spoke to herself and smiled in awe, proud of herself for what she did. So that glowing thing yesterday - it was the power that came into her!_

_Still smiling, she went to her room to get her makeup. Kylie was gonna pay for what she did and the best way to do that was to make her look like a clown and show the photo to all of her friends. Yeah, that'll teach her a lesson for sure!_

I remember this event. It was about a week after Melissa returned from camping. I remember ruining Melissa's new dress and her slapping me and somehow finding my ugly makeuped pictures all over the street. I don't even remember myself falling asleep that afternoon or Melissa putting makeup on me - if she did that in a normal way, she would've woke me up since I'm easily awaken. She must've used her powers. I knew it, she was a witch!

**Melissa's POV**

"So, we're going for that swim, right?" Destiny asked. The girls and I gathered in my bedroom, sitting nervously in front of the computer and watching funny YouTube videos.

"Sure, let's go!" I said happily; after the _incident_ with Misty, I wanted to get away from the house for a bit, especially after that look Misty gave me. Destiny and I got up from our chairs, while May kept sitting down and going through my drawers in search for some old magazines. "You comin', May?"

"Such a babe!" May let out a sigh of joy. She observed something in one of my old _Teen_ numbers.

Destiny and I approached her to see what's all this about. We noticed her looking at the poster of a teenage model; he was thin, muscular and seemed pretty tall. His big smile was probably one of the prettiest smiles I've ever seen and his bronze skin and dirty blonde hair... I can't even describe you how hot he looked. I think even Destiny liked him - I'm saying this since she had a totally different taste in guys from May and me.

"I'll put this above my bed", I said and grabbed the magazine out of May's hand and ripped the poster out. I put it above my big, white bed and - pretending that it's glued there - I smiled. "Fits pretty well, don't you think?"

The girls nodded and smiled.

"So how's your book going?" May asked, making Destiny roll her eyes.

I sighed. "I'm already at the chapter thirty and I called it 'Spells and Lies'. It's about the bad witch Laurie casting a spell to make Russ fall in love with her and cheat Chloe with her so Chloe dumps him and Luciana and Erica have to find a reason Russ' acting weird."

"Awesome!" May shrieked, while Destiny rolled her eyes once again.

"That's just not interesting. And I don't get it; why did I have to be in that story?" Destiny said.

"Because you have the power to heat things", I replied, "And in the story your power is to blow things up. It's logical that you have to be there."

"Fine, fine, whatever", Destiny muttered.

"I liked the thing you made _me_ do last time", May laughed. In my last chapter I made her make fun of that evil witch - Laurie - with her powers, so she did lots of crazy stuff. Just like real May would do.

"Yeah. I still can't stop laughing at when you telekinetically moved her chair when she was about to sit. She fell so hard on her ass", I laughed, but tried to cover it not to alarm Destiny and make her feel endangered.

"My favorite part was when you 'froze' your parents and sister just so you can sneak out of the house and help Des and me humiliate Laurie at her performance."

"I think that was when _I_ blew up Laurie's microphone." Destiny rolled her eyes. "I would never usually do that."

"Yes, you would", May and I said in unison.

Des just nodded. "Whatever. So are we going or what? I don't want to miss the chance to prove to you once again that I can do _it_ much better, even though you have more experience in it than me."

"Just you wish!" I smiled.

May nodded. "I can totally do it better."

"So it's on!" I yelled as the girls and I headed towards the door. I somehow had the feeling this day'll be pretty long. Too bad that I was right.

**Misty's POV**

I heard May and Destiny coming into Melissa's room and immediately placed Melissa's _diary_ under my bed. After reading it for a while, I found many weird things out that the three of them did in the two months. They cheated on a test in school - this made me want the power to freeze time and move things with my mind - broke into principal's office to steal a test, made fun of their families and foes, destroyed demons and other kinds of evil creatures. And these notes about evil beings gave me chills - I wonder if they'll attack me one day and will Melissa save me if that happens. But wait - why would she save me? She and her girls did many bad things in the book and letting me get killed would be like a piece of cake for her.

I tip toed to Melissa's room and slowly pressed my ear against the door. I tried to be as quiet as I could possibly be. This was a mission after all and it had to be done. I had no find out what they were up to this time and try to stop them on time. And what I found out pretty much shocked me.

"_Your power is to blow things up. It's logical that you have to be there."_ I heard Melissa saying.

Next I heard Destiny saying: _"Fine, fine, whatever."_

"_I like the thing you made me do last time"_, May's laughter broke the tension.

"_Yeah. I still can't stop laughing at when you telekinetically moved her chair when she was about to sit. She fell so hard on her ass"_ Melissa burst into laughter. Wow, they really were evil, there's no doubt.

"_My favorite part was when you 'froze' your parents and sister just so you can sneak out of the house and help Des and me humiliate Laurie at her performance."_ May reminded my sister. My jaw dropped open. Melissa sneaked out of the house at night with the help of her powers? She was so gonna get it from mom when I tell her.

"_I think that was when I blew up Laurie's microphone. I would never usually do that." _This was Destiny. Maybe she wasn't as evil as the other two; maybe she was just manipulated - her power is the most powerful of all and the other two were probably jealous so they made her be on their side.

"_Yes, you would" _May and Melissa didn't agree with their friend. So she really was manipulated.

"_Whatever. So are we going or what? I don't want to miss the chance to prove to you once again that I can do it much better, even though you have more experience in it than me." _So Destiny wanted to prove herself that she can be as evil as them. Maybe I could save her and make her be my friend and be _good_ with me and use her power for the _good_ of me.

I heard the girls getting up from their seats and got lost down to the living room. There I found my mother sitting on the couch and reading some fat book about properly raising children.

"Mom, I've got to tell you something and you're not going to like it." I had to tell her about my sister and her friends. Maybe she could be able to stop them from doing any more harm to people.

Mom looked up to me and signaled me to sit down next to her. "Say it."

Sitting down, I gulped and took a deep breath. This was going to be hard. "I just found out that Melissa, Destiny and may... That they are... Witches!" There, I said it.

I expected mom to be scared too, but instead she laughed. "They? Witches? Misty, you're eleven. You're too old to believe in that sort of stuff."

"But I heard them talking about it."

"Maybe they were talking about some stories they wrote. And it's rude to overhear others' conversations."

"But they bragged to each other about what they did with their powers. Melissa even said she used her powers to sneak out of the house at night. And this morning when I was taking a shower the water suddenly turned into ice cubes. I think Melissa casted some kind of a spell on it because when I got out she looked guilty."

"You probably spent all the hot water. And Melissa didn't sneak out for sure because we always let her so there's no reason for her to sneak. Maybe they were just talking about stories."

"No, they weren't! It's all Melissa's fault about this morning! They're evil witches and have powers!" I was persistent. I was always like that; when I get to something, I don't let it go till the very end.

"Don't speak nonsense!" mom warned me. I don't get it; why was it so hard for her to see the truth?

"Melissa, Destiny and May really are witches!" I repeated. I was about to say it one more time, but Melissa's voice interrupted me.

"We? Witches? Why?"

Seeing her and the other two girls, I put my arms around my mom and tightened my grip. "Help me! They'll hurt me!"

"What are you talking about?" Destiny asked. 

Mom laughed. "She claims she heard you three talking about having powers and is convinced that you're witches."

"She was overhearing us?" Melissa shrieked and turned to her friends. "Why don't we go to my room instead of you-know-where? I forgot the paper there."

May smirked. "Let's go", she said and the threesome went back up the stairs.

"She's going to get the spell she's written. They'll probably curse me now that I know about them!" I said in panic.

Mom rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I saw it in _Charmed_. That's what witches do."

**May's POV**

That thing with Misty really shocked me. She was convinced we're witches? How did she get that idea? Well, at least she doesn't suspect of us being mermaids.

I saw Melissa beating her bed to death and wondered what the hell was she doing. "What is it, Mel?"

"I can't find 'The Power of Three'", she replied. "Misty probably took it and thinks it's real."

"Oh, dear. The show is on", Destiny muttered, annoyed.

"And it must go on!" I said. The girls turned to me. "Think! Your mom will be at work soon and we'll be able to scare Misty to death to teach her a lesson about minding her own business instead of others'."

Even though I expected her to refuse, Destiny smirked. "You want us to play?"

"I'm so in!" Melissa said. I smiled.

"Let's do it!"

-H2O-

I slowly sneaked into the living room and hid behind big, white curtains that parted the living room and the kitchen. I peeked into the kitchen and noticed Misty holding a giant knife in one hand and a glass of water in the other one. What was she trying to accomplish by holding that knife? Did she think we'd attach her with our _witch_ powers? And did she really think that if we did attack her with our powers she would be able to defend herself with that knife?

I saw her drinking half a glass and leaving the glass on the bar and smirked. This was a good chance to start our play. I slowly raised my right hand and waved it, causing the faucet to leak uncontrollably. Misty's eyes went wide as she observed the scene and she probably wondered how it happened since she closed the faucet for sure. A few seconds later I made the faucet water sprinkle her and then the water from the glass do the same.

Screaming in fear, Misty threw herself behind a bar and started to breathe heavily. I heard her sob and cry out loud and it brought a big smile across my face. Now it was the time for the girls to do their task.

**Destiny's POV**

Even though I usually don't enjoy in torturing people, I gotta admit that this was kinda fun. I was happy not to have nosy siblings by being born as an only child, but I could understand Melissa's frustration with her sister - my cousins have lots of kids and I see them argue all the time. But they don't have special powers like we do.

"So what are we looking for, exactly?" I asked. Melissa and I were in Misty's room - which was quite messy, if I might add - and going through her stuff.

"Some of her hairs and some object that belongs to her will do", Melissa said. She went over to the small cupboard that stood near Misty's bed and took a hairbrush; ripping off some of Misty's hairs.

I approached the desk and took a small, red pen. This was an object, right? "Is this okay?"

Melissa nodded. "Yeah, it's fine." Okay, let the show go on!

**Misty's POV**

Curled behind a counter and shaking in fear, I let a river of tears stream down my face before a wiped it away. I knew it! The witches waited till my mom's gone to work so they can kill me. This thing with water was just the beginning.

I had to run away from home as soon as I could and there was no other option. If I stay, they'll probably kill me. I tried to get up, but my legs were shaking so hard I couldn't even move them. I put the hands on the bar's edge and slowly got up by holding it tightly and looked around to make sure the witches are nowhere to be seen.

Walking quietly, I went upstairs just to pack some necessary things with me. I had to take some clothes and stuff I like with me. Coming upstairs, I passed by Melissa's room which's door was open and I heard the witches chanting something. I slowly approached the slightly opened door and saw them sitting in a triangle, wearing black capes around them. In the middle stood an old tin bowl and some steam floated above it. The bowl was surrounded by three white candles. All three of them had small papers in their hands and chanted something that was written on it. I leaned in to the door and listened to their chant.

"_Oh, mighty demon of the night_

_We sacrifice this child for your might_

_To learn her to be respectful and mild_

_Let her live in your darkest wrath_

_This pen and hairs to her belong_

_Obsess her mind and make her fall_

_What once was ours, now is yours_

_From today till the future's course"_

_Oh, my god! They're sacrificing me!_ Dark thoughts wouldn't let me think straight. Seeing them sitting like that and chanting to sacrifice me made me fear them even more. _I'm gonna die and no one will know what happened. I'm gonna be sacrificed to the demon. _But maybe that wouldn't be so bad; if something happens to me, mom will realize it was Melissa and her friends and she'll make sure to kill them.

But as I listened to them repeating their chant, panic was taking over me and the desire to live was bigger than ever. I didn't want to die, there were many things I could do before I die - get married, have children, marry a rich guy, have a lover and a husband, be the most popular girl at school and stuff like that. But if they sacrifice me, I'll never be able to accomplish my goals.

**Melissa's POV**

This thing with chanting was a great idea of mine. I could see Misty almost crying, watching us from the not so far distance. I almost began to laugh, but I had to hold it back before she learns her lesson.

"_Oh, mighty demon of the night_

_We sacrifice this child for your might_

_To learn her to be respectful and mild_

_Let her live in your darkest wrath_

_This pen and hairs to her belong_

_Obsess her mind and make her fall_

_What once was ours, now is yours_

_From today till the future's course"_

The girls and I repeated the chant for a few more times before we put Misty's pen and hairs into the bowl. We continued our chant after it; all three of us barely holding back laughter.

But Misty didn't find it so funny. She screamed as loud as I've ever heard her scream and ran into the room and fell down on her knees.

"It's rude to interrupt a sacrifice ceremony", May said in a serious voice.

Misty started to sob and cry. "I'm sorry I overheard your conversations and stole your notebook and went through your room when you were not home and stole your clothes many times and... And deleted many of your homeworks and also deleted many of your computer projects so you got Fs and did many more disrespectful things to you! I'm sorry, just don't kill me!"

"Our cult doesn't forgive," I said. I tried to sound as serious as I could, but in reality I was almost on the floor, laughing. I always knew Misty was behind all those things and now that she admitted it I knew I was right all along.

"Our cult sacrifices", Destiny added.

Misty began to sob even more. "I'm sorry! It won't happen again! I promise!"

"You're lying!" I said.

Misty shook her head. "No, I'm not! I mean it for real - I'll never touch anything yours without asking first. And I'll never - ever - overhear your conversations."

"What's going on here?" I heard my mothers' voice speaking. Mom stood at the door with a confused look on her face. "I'm let home from work early and what do I find when I get home - circus." Misty, why're you crying? And what're you three up to? Can someone please explain?"

"We taught Misty a lesson", I said as I threw the cape away. May and Melissa did the same. "Since she believed we're witches, we convinced her we really are. We used all candles and a bowl and capes and voila."

"In the kitchen we unscrewed one screw to make her think something's wrong with the water so she thinks we have powers", Destiny lied.

"And all that so she can promise never to mind other people's business", May finished.

Misty gave us a puzzled look. "So all of this was just a set-up? All-all?"

"All-all", I confirmed.

"But what about the shower thing this morning?"

"I'm afraid that has nothing to do with me."

"But what about that scene from the notebook where you put makeup on me and wrote that you used your powers to freeze me in time? I remember finding my makeuped pictures in the neighborhood, but I don't remember putting it on."

"May's dad drinks sleeping pills so I borrowed one from her. I knew you were easily awaken so I had to do something to make you sleep." I turned to my mom. "Mom, Misty admitted that she deleted all of my homeworks I got Fs from for _not_ having them."

Mom looked at Misty, angered. "So it was you. Well, young lady... You're grounded."

"But mom-" Misty started, but was cut off by mom.

"No buts." Mom looked at the girls and me. "Good job, girls. You're great actresses."

"You have no idea", May muttered.

-H2O-

**You know how it goes: you review and I upload. So, go for it :)**

**Please no mean comments.**


	12. Hot & Under the Moonlight

**Thanks a bunch for the reviews and enjoy the new chapp! This is one of my favorite chapters.**

**Melissa's POV**

The girls and I were resting in the moon pool, with our heads leaned on its edge. We've been floating there in hours and enjoyed doing nothing and being lazy. My mom was supposed to have a birthday party and she told me to ask my friends, but I had doubts about it. What if they refuse? What if they make fun of me? I mean, the girls were on mom's b-day party last year, but we're older now and there's be lots of drinks, meaning we will have to be extra careful not to get wet.

"So... Girls, would you like to come to my mom's birthday party tonight?" I asked quietly. I kinda hoped they won't hear me, but I spoke loud enough to be heard.

"Cool! I'm so there", May said, "And how old is she now?"

"Thirty-three", I replied. I'm surprised how May instantly accepted to come, since she was not really a party-type of girl. She likes more to be in a quiet and peaceful area, alone with herself and no one else to _bother_ her.

"Your mom's so young", Destiny spoke, "How old was she when she gave birth to you?"

"Eighteen." I was supposed to celebrate my 15th birthday in October so yeah; she was eighteen when she got me. And she is such a lucky girl to have me.

"I'll come, but under one condition." Oh, no! What was Des up to now? "I don't have to wear a dress, skirt or high heels. I'll come dressed in my own style."

"No", I said. This was a classy party and the females that come there were supposed to wear dresses or something, not pants and Converse's.

"Oh, come on, Mel!" Des groaned, "You know I hate dresses and high heels!"

"Relax, Des. Nothing's gonna happen", May said and looked at me. "Right?"

"Right!" I agreed.

Destiny rolled her eyes. "Fine! And tonight's the full moon so we're gonna have to be careful!" She looked at me. "_Really_ careful!"

"I'll be careful." Why did she have to look at me while saying that? It's not my fault I forgot about the moon last time. There should be a sign somewhere saying _It's the full moon_ so I don't forget about it. Gee!

"I wanna look at the moon", May said with a big smile across her face. "It must feel good."

"Yeah, it feels so good to embarrass yourself and the next day you don't even remember what you did." Notice the sarcasm in it?

"No moon-watching, May", Destiny warned May, who made a baby face and groaned. Destiny shook her head. "I don't fall for that. What if something bad happens? What if you kill someone?"

"We did make a promise years ago that if one of us kills someone, the other two will cover", May said.

"This is different!" Des and I exclaimed in unison. I remember that promise, but we said we'll cover only if one of us had a good reason to commit a murder. Looking at the moon _on purpose_ was not a good reason. Okay, maybe our secret was, but May didn't have to know that.

**Destiny's POV**

May and I were sitting on the couch in Melissa's living room and observed how the guest's number was slightly getting bigger and bigger. I took a deep breath and felt May leaning her head on my shoulder. Rihanna's _Don't Stop the Music_ was playing out loud and if someone didn't know Melissa's mom, they'd think this was some teens' party. I had a feeling like I was in disco club, which I was pretty sure made May take my hand and squeeze it - she didn't like to be at a place filled with unknown people, especially if those people were in large numbers like this was the case. I think it's called Social Phobia in psychology, but I'm not sure - she's never paid a visit to a psychologist to find out and she doesn't intend to.

I slightly hit her head to shake her out of her thoughts. "Dyson's here."

She looked up and noticed Dyson standing in front of us, wearing a black tuxedo and white shirt. She got up and gave him a tight hug, before kissing his lips with lots of passion. He replied with his usual, bright smile.

"You look lovely tonight", he said. She was clad in knee-length pink dress and high-heeled purple sandals. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, but there was no trace of makeup on her face. I guess she really did look lovely.

"Thank you, dear." She kissed him once more as another 'thank you'. "You look nice too."

"Thanks. "He smiled again and looked at me. "You too look-"

"If you say _lovely_, I'll smack you!" I cut him off. I wore the same outfit I wore on that school party a month ago - short red dress, red high heels- and I really hated to be dressed like that. Dyson's comment would only make everything worse. But what can you do against Melissa when she's so persistent?

Somewhere in the background, I noticed Melissa running around the house from one guest to another; offering drinks. May excused herself and went to see if she could help her out - I think it was because she felt bored - while Dyson and I decided to just be lazy and be happy while doing it. As soon as she left, he sat next to me and sighed. I noticed him staring at my boobs - I don't think I was his type of a girl, but you see what this outfit does to people? I tried to call him and shake him out of his thoughts, but he was like hypnotized by the _view_. I know most of the girls would like some guy to stare at their boobs, but not me. I was angry at him for doing that.

I slapped the back of his head and his eyes met mine. "Do it again and I'll hurt you", I threatened.

He nodded. "S-sorry."

**May's POV**

"Are you okay?" I asked Melissa as I approached her, only to see her filling lots of glasses with beer, wine, juices and many other kids of drinks. "Need any help?"

"Someone forgot to put the beer in the fridge. Everything's warm!" Melissa yelled hysterically. I think she was into this party too much.

"How about you use your power?" Now, that was the idea.

Melissa sighed in relief. "May, you're a genius!" she said as she pointed her hand towards the beer bottles and glasses, cooling them down; of course, careful enough not to freeze them solid.

"I have my moments."

A few seconds later Mrs. Tanner - Melissa's mom - joined us behind the bar, wearing a big smile on her small face. It was pretty obvious she was satisfied with the party.

"Happy birthday, Mrs. Tanner", I said as I shook hands with her. "And if I might notice, that's a lovely dress you have there."

"Thank you, may", Mrs. Tanner replied. She wore a short blue dress, exactly the same to the one Melissa wore. "I liked the dress Melisa bought, so I bought one for myself too."

"No kidding", Melissa mumbled sarcastically. I think she was embarrassed by the fact her mom had the same dress she did.

Mrs. Tanner, Melissa and I continued our chat until Mrs. Peets - Illene's mother -appeared at the door. And guess who was with her? Only the two girls Melissa, Destiny and I last wanted to see at that party - Illene and Therese. I bet they joined Mrs. Peets just to annoy us. Mrs. Tanner excused herself to go over and greet her co-worker - yes, Illene's mom and Melissa's mom were co-workers. I wonder how that creature called Illene can be a daughter of such a kind person Mrs. Peets is.

"Oh, no. The bitches are here", Melissa groaned.

I smirked. "Maybe they take the juice or something so we can get into action."

Melissa nodded. "Maybe."

**Destiny's POV**

As soon as Mrs. Tanner greeted them and Mrs. Peets, Illene and Therese _somehow_ noticed Dyson and I sitting on the couch and for some reason they thought it'll be nice to join us. I rolled my eyes at the very sight of them, while Dyson kept his cool. I wonder how the hell he managed to stay so calm while being near them. I never liked that two; they were mean and had no respect of others - they thought that if they were the most popular in school, they own and can have everything they want. The other reason was they always made May jealous - everyone knew Illene had a crush on Dyson and she didn't really bother to hide it. She used every chance possible to make May look bad in front of him and always flirted with him when May was near.

"It's weird to see someone like you on a classy party alike this one", Illene spoke to me. I just rolled her eyes at her statement - knowing her for so many years made me immune to her insults.

"I'm sorry. Do I know you?" This gotta annoy her.

"Yes, it's me, Illene." Illene rolled her eyes and pointed to Therese. "And this is Therese. What is it with you these days? Temporarily amnesia?"

"Oh, yeah." I smiled. "I never usually forget faces, but in your case I'll was glad to make an exception. And I won't thank you for making me remember, now I'll have nightmares for at least a month."

Therese's eyes made a fine circle - yep, she was annoyed, along with her buddy Illene.

Illene sat next to Dyson and gently took his hand. He pulls his hand back, which made her sit closer to him and lean onto his shoulder.

"Wanna dance, Dyson?" she asked in a _seductive_ voice.

He moved closer to me and shook his head. "No. I'll dance with May."

"But May's not here right now", Illene was persistent. "And she can't dance anyway. What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

This was really getting out of hand and I decided to get involved. Dyson was good at keeping his distance from her, but if May came and saw her seducing him, I don't think that scene would look too well. "Are you so desperate to find a boyfriend you have to steal someone else's to have one?"

"I don't have to steal someone else's boyfriend. I can have every guy I want. I just want to dance, that's all." Illene faked a smile. "And I would never steal from May. She's just... Let's just say she's not born with _qualities_ most of boys would like. Like intelligence or being thin or having a pretty face."

I balled my fist. No one's insulting my friends and getting away with it. I was just about to curse her whole family out - maybe even hit her - when Dyson interrupted me.

"Listen, Illene", he said in a fake friendly voice - I guess he didn't like his girlfriend being insulted either, "I think it's best for you to leave. I _do not_ want to dance with _you_ or hang out with _you_ or be with _you_ or sit with _you_ and I _don't_ want _you_ near _me_ for this whole evening. Got it? And leave May alone, she's done nothing to you. If you're so brave, then say all of this to her face."

Looking insulted, Illene got up and together with Therese headed towards the kitchen. "Smartass", I heard her mutter while leaving.

"Good one, Dyson." I gotta admit, Dyson surprised me with his speech. I think it showed Illene not to think of him as a wimp - he can be a man too and with this he proved himself as one. If only May was here to see him at his moment of glory.

**Melissa's POV**

I was so nervous about the whole party thing that May had to give me tips how to use my powers just to cool the drinks down and not to freeze them completely. We put the juice, wine, beer and other drinks' bottled on the bar and all I had to do was to hold my hand up and think of cooling them down - sounds easy in theory, but in practice it's pretty hard.

"What are you doing?" Familiar voice interrupted us. Oh, no! Just what we needed - the bitch twosome to bother us.

I looked up and saw Illene and Therese, wearing the exactly same short white dresses and high heels. Like they're home, they took the glasses and reached for the beer bottles - it would be polite if they waited for me to cool the beers down and make them _actually_ drinkable.

"Could you just wait for it to cool down?" I asked, annoyed.

Therese cynically smiled. "And that would happen how exactly? By you holding your hand up?"

I gulped at her statement - what if she saw me using my power? Well, maybe she did, but didn't know it was a power. She probably thought I was a psycho for holding hand up like that.

Illene took the beer bottle in her hand and opened it, which brought smile to May's face. I kinda knew what she was about to do and I liked it. Too bad Des was not here to heat it up.

May put her hand down, but I grabbed it and whispered to her ear: "Wait for me to make it cold first."

She nodded and waited for me to do the job. I put my hand into a stop-sign position, cooling down the beer in Illene's bottle; almost freezing it. Seeing me being done with my work, May waved her hand from left to right, making the beer splash all over Illene, ruining her perfectly, snow white dress. She screamed in astonishment and put the bottle back onto the bar.

"What the hell?" Therese shrieked. "Why does this always happen lately?"

I glanced at May and smirked; she doing the same. "Didn't I mention we have a pressure problems in this house?" I think this was a perfect excuse.

"Therese, let's go outside! I don't want to be see until I dry out!" Illene ordered to her friend, who obeyed and together they headed towards the back door.

**Destiny's POV**

I noticed the front door opening and saw a familiar figure entering the house, dressed in an elegant black dress and shoes - Mrs. Rose Tanner. Her lips curved into a smile as she glanced outside for a moment - probably into the full moon - before closing the door and heading towards the place Dyson and I were sitting.

"Good evening, kids", she greeted as she sat next to us. Dyson and I retaliated the greeting.

"So what are you doing here, Mrs. Tanner?" I asked. I don't get it? Was she not trusting us so she had to check on us or something?

Mrs. Tanner smiled. "Please, dear, call me Rose", she said as she continued her reply: "I was invited to the party, but I also wanted to check on you girls to make sure you're okay."

This part angered me. What the hell did she think? That we were little girls that can't take care of themselves? And besides, we were inside so there was no way we would get moonstruck.

"No worries, they have me", Dyson said proudly. I rolled my eyes.

"We're doomed."

Dyson glared at me. "What was that supposed to mean? That I can't protect you well enough?"

"You sure as hell proved that you can protect us when you gave us a rash with that spray of yours, with a cover that it's a poison ivy rash."

"It was an accident."

"You knew about it and instead of coming clean, you tried to make it better and guess what? It didn't work!"

"At least I tried!"

"Well, if I was you, I wouldn't even try."

"What a surprise."

"Please, stop it, kids", Mrs. Tanner - I mean, Rose - stopped out little argument.

"I'm going to the bathroom", I said as I got up and headed to the desired place. I heard Rose warning me about the full moon and I promised I'll be careful. Gee, these old people really were annoying.

-H2O-

Flushing the toilet, I reached for the wet tissues pack that stood on the cupboard. Wiping my hands, I threw the tissue into a trash can and glanced at the mirror that stood right across the bathtub and the toilet. I noticed my hair was a bit messy, so I went to fix it, when I suddenly fell into a trance at the sight of a small, golden, circle-shaped figure that sparkled in the mirror - the moon. Obviously I forgot that the mirror was also right across the window, but now it was too late for feeling sorry.

I felt my body relaxing like I'm on some kind of drugs; my arms and legs felt lightweight and my heart began beating slower and slower and slower... Until I felt like it stopped its beat. My face expression turned serious - my eyes darted at my reflection in the mirror in an if-looks-could-kill way. I turned on my heel to the window; facing the bright-lighted moon that looked so beautiful I wanted to won it. I've got this weird feeling that my self esteem strengthened and I felt like I wanted to tell the whole damn human kind the truth about them - that they're all low-leveled bastards now worth life they were given and that they should all die in a painful death. Why did those humans have to take over this world anyway? It would be so much better if the world was ruled by mermaids - at least we had powers to put some things - and persons - in order.

I nodded at the moon and left the bathroom, heading back to find my mermaid friends and ask them to join me to make my dreams come true - together, the three of us could make the human kind fear us and they would no longer be in charge; we would.

Passing by all those people made me realize how much flaws they had - they were almost all drunk, ugly, boring, stuck up, superficial, shallow and dull, unlike us - the mermaids - who were perfect in everything. We were pretty, nice, understanding and we could have any man we wanted. We were the rulers of the oceans and waters, which meant we could control them - we could control those pathetic humans by manipulating their blood and that way making them our slaves. Yes, that's a brilliant idea! May, Melissa and I - the three of us - could rule the world and free it from these weak humans' leadership.

I felt my body temperature warming up, which made me realize I was probably too angry and excited - my power could easily get out of control and spoil everything. I felt warmed and warmer, and as my body was heating up, so was the room temperature. I leaned on the wall to take a rest - it was so hot I was barely walking. So why were the humans still able to stand on their feet? Didn't they feel this hotness?

I observed all these people that surrounded me; tiny drops of sweat running down their forehead and arms. The very look at those sweat drops made me feel even hotter. What the hell was wrong with me? I was perfectly fine until I reached this room and... Then I realized what the problem was! It was not my power or me feeling angry or excited - it was them, the humans. They were doing this to me! They wanted to kill me. They probably realized my true intentions and wanted to slay me.

But no! I was not letting this happen. I took a deep breath and tried to walk again, only to fall down on my knees; my whole body was shaking and I felt disoriented. Wait... Where was I heading? Where are my friends - my mermaids? Where are they' Why was I alone? In which direction were they?

My head began to hurt hard and I covered it with my hands. My feelings mixed in my head - in one moment I was delusional, in the other I was panicking and afraid, then in the next I felt powerful. All of a sudden the humans started to scream; at the same moment my headache lowered. I looked up and saw their drinks exploding and evaporating. Yes! I knew it? I knew I could do it! My power made them afraid; I made them afraid!

Feeling a bit better, I got up and turned to the wall; heading towards the nearest room possible which turned out to be the kitchen. I used the all as a support for walking since I still felt weak - what have those humans done to me?

"Des! Are you okay?" Melissa and May probably panicked seeing me in that condition. Judging by their voices, they were pretty scared for me. See, those are the real friends, not some pathetic humans who don't give a damn about their loved ones.

I nodded. "I'm fine, I just... Need water." I went to take a glass, but my legs began to shake again and I once again fell down onto my knees. May ran over to me to help me get up, but I raised my hand to stop her - if she touched me, she would get hurt and I didn't want that. She was one of my kind after all. "I just need a glass of cold water. My head hurts a bit."

Melissa gave me what I've asked for in just about few seconds. I tried to drink that water, but it was _too_ warm for me so Mel had to cool it down with her power - let me tell you the truth, I heated up the water myself because I wanted her to use her power because using it felt so good. As soon as she cooled it down, I drank everything and instantly felt my strength getting back - meaning I was able to stand on my own two feet.

"It's okay now, everything's fine", I said in a raspy voice. But it was a lie. I still had a small headache, but I didn't want to worry the girls. Friends shouldn't disturb each other, right?

A couple of minutes later I felt the weakness coming back to me - what the hell was happening to me? My small headache turned into a big one and everything in my head was spinning I was barely standing. I felt so hot I could barely breathe. I bet it was those damn humans again.

"Why are they doing this to us?" I asked my friends in an annoyed tone - it sounded almost as I yelled at them. They stared at me; surprised. "What? Don't you think it's unfair they're doing this?"

May and Melissa shoot me with puzzled glances. I know I've never yelled at them before - even when we were arguing - but how could they not feel this warmth the humans infected us with? They were my _kind_, they had to feel it.

"Who are _they_, Des?" Melissa asked; her small brownish-green eyes met my brown ones.

"Humans! Can't you feel what they're doing? It's just too fucking hot!" I went behind the bar to get myself another glass of water. I reached for faucet to release the water, when suddenly instead of water, through it leaked a superhot steam.

_What the hell?_ I jumped back for a step and glanced at my two friends; their confused looks meeting my eyes like an arrow that was about to stab their prey. Did May and Melissa think I did that? And on purpose? I would never do anything like that, especially not in someone else's house.

All of a sudden all the bottles from the bar exploded and their content ended up everywhere - from the bar, to the walls and floor. I screamed. What was happening? Was I really the cause of it?

"It's you!" May glared at me with her eyes that revealed fear deep in them.

"Did you look at the moon?" Melissa asked.

I gulped. Have I looked at the moon or was this all my imagination? Maybe I just drank too much... But I don't remember drinking anything. "No, I didn't, no! I dunno... Maybe." I panicked. All of this was going too fast and I felt threatened - what if someone wanted to hurt me? But how would they do that? Would I hurt them? Or was it me that's the main problem?

"Okay, Destiny, you just have to calm down. We're not gonna hurt you. We'll just get you to the cool room and everything will be fine, okay?" May said in a friendly voice as she reached for my hand. Touching my right wrist, she immediately pulled her hand back and screamed in pain. "You burnt me!"

I felt my heart pounding fast again; my temperature's risen up and I felt anger taking over me. "I will not calm down! And you're not taking me anywhere! I'm staying right here where I am and you can't do anything to make me go away! I'm in charge now! I have the power!"

Seriously, what the hell were they thinking? I tried to be nice to them - to my _kind_ - but they just wanted to use me to gain my thrust and lock me into some room with no windows and no water. How was I supposed to look at the moon if locked there? Oh, the moon. The very thought of it made me giggle.

The girls gave me strange looks again - probably 'cause they had no idea why I was giggling all of a sudden - but the thing is that I didn't even care anymore. All I knew was I was thirsty. I went to take the glass of water again, but the drinks exploded once again - or what was left of them. All the liquids immediately turned into a hot and burning steam and I got that panic feeling back.

May and Melissa screamed and I screamed along. What was I doing? Was I hurting them? I couldn't do that. They were _mine_ and therefore I was supposed to protect them from humans, not harm them even more.

"It's all my fault! I can't stand this anymore!" I shrieked and as fast as I could I ran towards the back door - I had to get out and calm down. My feelings were getting pretty mixed up and I had to figure out what I do and dunnot want. For one moment I wanted to protect my fellow mermaids from humans and their evil deeds and for the other I wanted to hurt them as well.

While I ran through the crowd, I almost fainted for a couple of times, but I just kept running. I had to get out of there and there was nothing that could stop me - not even my own sickness.

-H2O-

Running through the long, empty hallway, I observed the shining moon through the glass wall that looked at the backyard. Melissa's family didn't have much money, but their house was to die for. If only mine was like that - with glass walls and all - I could look at the moon any time I wanted if it was.

But as soon as I opened the large, glass door, the glance at the moon made me feel furious at it - it did this to me! It turned me into a monster. Facing a large swimming pool, I noticed two female figures standing in the shadow on the other side - Illene and Therese.

"What's with you?" Therese smiled - she decided to be annoying again. "You're kicked out?"

"Fuck off!" I simply told her off. Illene smiled in an evil way.

"No need for you to be violent."

Rolling my eyes, I passed the pool and headed to the backyard door, but was stopped by Illene and Therese - they decided to stand in front of me and not to let me go further.

"Move!" I ordered in a threatening tone.

"And what if we won't?" asked Therese, as she and Illene burst into laughter.

But that only made my rage bigger. I yelled: "Then I'll make you" and raised my hand, pointing it towards them. Clenching my fingers, I made their blood boil. They fell to their knees and tried to scream, but they were in so much pain they probably barely managed to breathe.

I heard something hitting the glass was behind me and as I glanced back, I noticed Melissa and May hitting the glass and trying to talk me out of boiling the bitches' blood. Why did they care for them anyway? Illene said so many bad things about May and probably Melissa and me, Therese being no exception. Not to mention they were weak, powerless humans.

Melissa pressed her hand against the glass, suppressing my power by cooling down this weaklings' blood. I tried to boil it harder, but Mel was better at it. Giving her an angry look, I put my hand down and ran to the backyard door. Once out the yard, I ran across the road and jumped into the ocean that shimmered under the moonlight. When will this curse finally stop?

**May's POV**

Seeing Destiny running away, Melissa and I noticed the moon hiding behind the clouds and ran outside to help Illene and Therese. They were unconscious and probably in lots of pain, but at least now we could convince them they were drunk and imagined everything once they're awake.

"Great. Now we've lost her", I muttered sarcastically.

Melissa nodded. "At least no one got hurt."

I gulped. No one got hurt... Yet.

-H2O-

Melissa and I somehow managed to find Mrs. Tanner - Mel's grandma - and ask her for advice. She refused to let us follow Destiny because then we'd get moonstruck too and could become a bigger threat in three. Dyson offered to follow her instead, but Rose revealed to us that Destiny's powers were the most dangerous and that the only smart thing to do would be to wait till the morning and go to the moon pool to see if she's there. If only it was that simple.

**Destiny's POV**

Diving out in the bubbling moon pool, I glanced at the moon through the cone of the volcano - its warm, golden eyes met mine. I felt water around me getting hotter and hotter, until it became too hot to withstand. My skin was all red and burned, and I don't even have to tell you about the headache. I started to shake and spin, hitting my head with my hands trying to make everything stop.

Once the water became way too hot for any being to withstand, I felt tears streaming down my cheeks and began to sob and scream and yell. I haven't cried in years and I'd usually never cry for something like this, but it was just too much. I just wanted it to stop. Was it too much to ask for?"

"Leave me alone!" I cried; glancing at the moon. "Why are you doing this to me? Stop it! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

**May's POV**

The first thing Melissa and I did the next morning was diving under the ocean and heading towards Ooha'oma. As we dove out in the moon pool, we saw Destiny lying on the surface outside the pool. Her red dress and heels seemed intact, but the skin on her legs and arms was red - it looked like it was cooked. We couldn't see her face since she was lying with her back turned to us, but it was probably red too. She must've hurt herself last night with her powers.

We tried to call for her to wake up, but she didn't seem to hear our voices. After a couple of minutes of trying to wake her up, we finally succeeded. She used her hand as a support to raise her torso up and glanced back at us - just as I thought, her face was burnt.

"What-what am I doing here?" she asked weakly. That confused and innocent look she gave to Melissa and I I'll never forget. Poor girl had amnesia, but it was a good time to remind her.

"Last night you looked at the moon and went gaga", I explained; short and clear. She didn't have to know all the details just now.

Destiny frowned and made a sad face. "Did I hurt anyone?"

Melissa shook her head. "Well... Not really. You were just a little... Hot." I think she decided to leave the incident with Illene and Therese for later.

-H2O-

**I would ask people to review 'cause if I get less than two reviews, I will NOT upload the next chapter. Am I asking for too much?**


	13. Mermaids in Troubled Waters

**Thanks for the nice reviews, CheddarFetta, H2OGirl101, CocoButters and It'llmake justin thinandaman. They really mean a lot! Here we go with the story:**

**Dyson's POV**

Parking my motorboat on the middle of the ocean between Ooha'oma and Honolulu, I put my dark blue flippers, a swimming mask and a snorkel on and jumped into the sparkling, turquoise ocean. I took a deep breath and dove to the bottom that was deep under and smiled at the sight of colorful reefs and shells, along with many tropical fish and other aquatic animals.

Scuba diving was one of my favorite hobbies since I was seven. I've always used to run home from school so I could go diving, especially if the days were too hot to handle out of the water. May used to come with me too, but now that she's a mermaid I abandoned my hobby a bit to help her with her secret. Of course, sometimes we would still swim together, but it was not the same now.

Going through the reefs and underwater rocks, I noticed a small, pinkish-white shell with an unusual feature - it was shaped into a perfect and beautiful heart. Smiling, I took it into my hands with the intention of giving it to May. I knew she would like it since she liked cute things and she likes everything I give to her anyway.

I thought about leaving it in my boat, but decided to dive for a bit more and maybe find some more shells like that one to give to my girlfriend. I saw a little starfish and went to grab it to observe it for a bit, when I felt something pulling my flipper.

I froze.

What if it was a shark? I could end up as his lunch or dinner or breakfast or whatever sharks call their meal. It could be something else too - some giant hungry fish or something. But when I turned to look who it was, I brought smile back to my face.

May waved at me, smiling and pointing with her finger to the surface. I nodded and together we surfaced and I finally took that deep breath I wanted for a few seconds already. I've learned to hold my breath for a bit longer than people normally can, but I still couldn't hold it for a lot of time.

"I can hold my breath for four minutes", I said proudly; putting my snorkel down to hand around my neck.

May laughed. "I can forever."

"You're a mermaid." We both burst into laughter.

"Wanna go for a swim with me to Ooha'oma?" May asked.

I nodded and pointed my look to the uninhabited island that towered above the ocean a few miles further. I put the heart-shaped shell into my boat so May won't see it - it was meant to be a surprise for her - and glanced back at her. "I'm ready."

Watching her diving under, I took another deep breath, put a mask and snorkel on and dove after her. She took my hand and led me to the bottom, where we swam for four minutes and enjoyed the privacy we had - for once not disturbed by Melissa or Destiny. After four minutes have passed, we surfaced again for me to breathe some air and take another deep breath.

Going underwater for the second time, we decided to head for Ooha'oma. May took my hand in hers and squeezed it, then used her super-speed swimming to get us to the island in just a few minutes. Once there, we swam to the underwater entrance that led to the moon pool.

Just a few meters from the moon pool cave opening, I've lost all oxygen I breathed and suggested May with my hand that she takes me out above the surface as fast as she can. She approached me - smiling - and I thought she'll actually do what I've told her to, but instead she put my snorkel away and pulled me into a passionate kiss. With a kiss she also breathed some air into me, giving me enough oxygen to stay underwater for at least half a minute.

I couldn't help but grinning. Have I ever mentioned how good underwater kisses taste? You should definitely try it out.

Holding hands again, May and I swam into the moon pool and surfaced. I leaned onto its edge and began breathing heavily - even though May gave me enough air, swimming was really an exhausting thing to do.

I felt May's arms around me; her soft fingers gently touching my skin. "Are you okay?" her voice sounded worried when she asked that.

"Yes. I'm just a bit tired, that's all." I turned to her and tried to fake a smile. The truth is I was not feeling okay. I was exhausted - that speed-swimming killed me. I guess I was just not used to that.

May nodded. She smiled for a moment, but after couple of seconds her smile was replaced by a blank stare - it was that look May had when she forgot something. "Dyson, what time it is?"

"I dunno. Around noon. Why?"

May let out a slight sigh. "My cousins are coming today. They're staying at my place for a week. They're probably already here."

"Are they one of those cousins you wish you never had?" I asked; grinning. I knew she had two cousins - twins - that lived in Honolulu as well. They were a total pain in the ass - May's words, not mine. Those two were only obsessed with hot girls and parties and their mom was not a saint either.

May shook her head. "No, those better stay where they are. Those who are coming are my favorites - the Australians. Taylor - the older one - was already here for a few times, but Frankie - her younger brother - is here for the first time. I used to go to Sydney for every summer vacations ever since I was born, but this year I couldn't for obvious reasons. So they decided to come here instead."

I nodded. I wish I had cousins in Australia - I heard things are cheap there so they might buy some lab equipment for me there. My whole family is - unfortunately - at Hawaii. Only aunt Greta is in San Francisco, along with my sister who's there on college. If only I was fortunate to have a family all over the world... Ahh, how wonderful would that be. I could already imagine it - me in my own lab, wearing a white lab coat, the finest lab equipment and money surrounding me.

"I really need to go, Dyson. Want me to take you back to your boat, or you'll swim?" May's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"I'll go with you."

**May's POV**

Taking slow and quiet steps, I approached the kitchen door and froze. Inside I heard my parents' voices, along with the voices of two pretty familiar people. That proved they're here. I wanted to open the door and get all the kissing and hugging and squeezing over with, but there was something inside of me stopping me. I was always like that when around people I don't always hang out with - whether those are my family or some strangers, my body always reacted the same way.

Taking a deep breath, I gained some courage to open the door, only to see a short and thin, tanned woman hugging my mother - my cousin Taylor. Her long, curly, dark brown - blonde highlighted - hair was tied into a pony tail - a few curls were loosen up and framed her gorgeous, small face. Her small, dark eyes radiated with joy and excitement - I knew she was happy to be here. A short, red dress fit perfectly on her small body and white, high heeled sandals replaced the height she lacked. I gotta admit, I was a bit jealous at Taylor - she used to be a bit chubby, like me, and successfully lost weight. Me, on the other hand... Let's just say I have some trouble with it, but I believe one day I'll make it.

Next to her stood a tall and chubby fourteen-year old - also tanned and dark brown haired. That would be Taylor's younger brother, Frankie. Ever since I knew him, he was chubby and was damn proud of it. As he was getting older, he was getting taller and the chubbiness was almost invisible. On his torso was a blue T-shirt with a big soccer ball on the front. Red shorts were from around his waist almost to his knees and on his feet were dark blue Nike snickers.

Hearing the door open, Taylor turned to me and ran to me; pulling me into a tight hug I was barely able to breathe. "May! I haven't seen you for so long! Is everything fine?"

I sighed. "It is... I guess. How about you, Taylor?"

Taylor smiled. "Everything's okay. And I see you've lost some weight. Have you been exercising?"

I narrowed my eyes at her comment. I haven't been exercising at all - in fact, I was eating and being lazy more than ever. Maybe it was the swimming - I did that pretty often. "Nope. I... I swim a lot these days."

Taylor nodded as she let go of me, and turned to Frankie. "Why don't you say hello to May, Frankie?"

Frankie curved him small lips into a weak smile and waved at me. "Hey, May."

He and I were always a bit embarrassed when it came to greeting each other - and when it came to greeting in general. When we were kids, we always used to beat each other up, but now that we're almost adults, we learned that we can be quite good friends.

"Hey", I waved back.

Taylor and my dad took the luggage and headed towards the stairs with the intention to unpack in Taylor and Frankie's rooms as soon as possible. Following them, Frankie looked back at my mom and me.

"Aunt Marie, is it okay if I go swimming? I saw a beach just a few meters down from here", he said.

My mom nodded and smiled. "Sure it's okay. May will come with you too. She always goes to swim there with her friends. Isn't it right, May?"

I gulped. "R-right." Oh, noes! Trouble, trouble, trouble! I knew in an instant I couldn't make them make me go into the water. Frankie couldn't find out my secret.

-H2O-

I watched in awe as Frankie - wearing red swimming boxers - stormed out of the house with a blue towel and a plastic bag in his hands. The bag contained a mask, a snorkel and black flipper - Frankie's diving equipment. He adored swimming and diving and when I used to visit Australia, the two of us would spend hours and hours in the ocean. But this time on the situation was different and from now I had to be careful.

After a couple of unsuccessful tries to make him wait for me, I finally managed to catch up with him on the beach. Stepping onto the hot sand made me gasp - being so close to the ocean with a person who liked being wet was definitely one of the things not to do when you want to hide a secret that involves water.

Putting his towel down, Frankie sat on it and put on his mask. He took the snorkel and flippers into his hands and sat in the shoal, where he put on the flippers as well.

"Let's go together, May", he said, "Just like the good old times."

I shook my head. "I can't go, sorry. It's _those_ days in the month." I neatly folded my towel and sat on it. Wow, I actually folded it _neatly_. I never do something neatly.

"Okay, then. See ya later." Setting the snorkel right, he instantly dived into the ocean in a similar way I do it. He dived out after a couple of seconds to set the mask - he probably set it wrong the first time and the water got in.

"Don't go too far, there are sharks around here", I warned him. Although he was pretty far away, I could see him nod before diving under again.

This thing about sharks was not a lie - there were plenty of species around there and those were pretty dangerous. Even I - a mermaid - had to be careful, especially around those that live on the back side of Ooha'oma - those are the most dangerous.

-H2O-

I laid on the couch in the living room; watching Charmed. It was the rerun of that episode when Leo became an elder and had to leave Piper. It was a pretty sad moment and I felt tears forming in my eyes; ready to run down my face. Frankie ran into the room and stood beside me, almost blocking my view on the TV. A smirk and a death glare ruined his normally happy face - something was up and he was not too happy about it. In his hands was a big glass of Coca Cola.

"What do you want?" I asked, uninterested. I didn't keep my eyes off the television, carefully observing Piper's teary face and the sadness her eyes radiated with. Oh, how much I wanted to cry, but I held my tears back because of Frankie - it would be embarrassing to cry in front of your cousin because of a TV show.

"Why did you lie to me, May?" Frankie asked. "Aunt Marie asked me if we had fun and I told you about you and _those_ days in the month and guess what - it's a lie. You have no _those_ _days_ at the moment. I don't get it - you used to love swimming and scuba diving with me. What's really going on?"

I let out a sigh. Mom always got me in trouble. Always! "I can't tell you."

"Why? What's so big that you can't even tell _me_? I know, we had troubles in the past, but we're okay now. You can tell me everything."

"I don't think I can. You wouldn't understand."

"I would. What is it? Tell me." Frankie moved the Cola glass to his mouth, ready to drink it. He leaned it to make a contact with his lips, but he leaned it a bit too much and half of it spilled out; landing on my stomach.

My eyes goggled widely as I gulped and jumped off the bed; running upstairs in the direction of my room. Luckily for me, the room of mine was right across the stairs, which allowed me to quickly open the door and jump inside. I haven't even managed to close the door entirely before a bronze tail replaced my legs, making me collapse and slap my body against the hard floor. I groaned in pain as I hit my bare arms pretty hard -luckily all those scales protected the tail from hurting as much as the hands did.

At that exact moment, my mom got out the bathroom which was on the left of my room - meaning if she approached my room, she could see my tail since the door wasn't completely closed. I panicked - is she sees me, my life's over. I could never use my powers against her again without her knowing it was me.

"What was that sound, May?" she asked. I saw the door opening and instantly knew it was her trying to come in. I had to stop her from entering and seeing me.

I took a deep breath and leaned onto my hands, raising my tail to hit the door with my fin. The door slammed shut and I heard my mother jumping back for a step. "Leave me alone!"

"_Fine"_, I heard her yelling and heading downstairs.

Rolling my eyes, a crawled to the closet and took one of my old T-shirts to dry myself off. I heard a knock on my door and speeded up my drying for a bit. "Whoever it is, do not come in!"

"_It's me, May"_, I heard Frankie saying. _"Look, I'm sorry I spilled Cola on you, but it was an accident. Really."_

"It's okay. I'm not angry, just a little... Nervous about the whole thing. It's really hot outside and I'm usually nervous when it's too hot." Yeah, a really good lie. Just to inform you, I'm usually a much better liar.

"_Okay. Since you don't want to swim, how about you sit on the beach and take care of the shells I dive out?"_

I smiled. This could actually work out. "Sure. Do you mind if I ask some friends to come?"

"_Not at all. Can they swim?"_

"Nope."

I heard him snicker. _"Okay, then they can be the shells' keepers as well."_

-H2O-

I smiled at the sight of Dyson and Melissa approaching me. Both were dressed into their swimsuits - Melissa in her bikini and Dyson in his shorts - and they both had towels in their hands.

As they sat next to me, Dyson kissed me in the cheek and grinned. "So... Where's your cousin?" he asked in a mischievous voice.

I grinned. "He's gone scuba diving. I'm just the shells' keeper", I pointed to a small white bowl that stood next to me and contained a few shells, "Why?"

"Because then we can have some fun together. You know, you and me, on the beach." He put his arms around me and I leaned to him - getting a passionate kiss as a reward. He slowly laid down on the sand, with me laying on top of him. We were still kissing, but this time our hands were around each others' neck.

"Get a room", I heard Melissa groan and we instantly pulled back from each other.

Dyson smiled and put his hand into his pocket. "I have to give you something." Pulling his hand out, he revealed a small heart-shaped shell that hung on a brown string. "I found it in the sea yesterday and thought you might like it."

I smiled. "Have I already told you how much I adore you?" With that said, I kissed his lips.

He carefully put the shell around my neck. "You have, but I don't mind you repeating."

"Wanna go somewhere alone?"

"Sure."

We got up and took out towels, heading in the direction of the city, but Melissa stopped us with a question: "And what am I supposed to do?"

"Take care of Frankie's shells", I replied.

Melissa looked disappointed. "Alone?"

"Maybe he'll get out of the ocean to get some rest so you won't be alone."

She rolled her eyes. "How rude."

Dyson and I smiled at her statement as we left. This was gonna be a long day.

**Melissa's POV**

How dare May and Dyson leave me to go somewhere alone? After all we've been through, this is how they repay me. What was I supposed to do if something happens? Frankie doesn't even know me so he'll probably question me things.

Oh and that sly cat Destiny! Of all days, she just had to pick today to clean up the house. And why of all the people in the world, I ended up hanging out with idiots?

"You're Melissa, right?" someone's voice shook me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see a tall, chubby teenage boy smiling at me. It's probably Frankie.

"How did you know?" I asked.

His smile widened. "May showed me your picture. I'm Frankie, by the way." He stretched his hand for me to shake it; I wanted to, but seeing the water droplets on its surface, I backed away. Well, at least he sounded polite.

Frankie put some shells into the bowl and headed back to the ocean. He asked me to come with him, but I refused with an excuse that I suck at swimming - so he left alone. I wish I could go, but I kinda promised May I'll babysit Frankie's shells - actually, she kinda promised herself for me. Man, how I hated this.

-H2O-

After Frankie had left, I decided to use the chance of solitude to get some afternoon nap. So I laid there on my stomach, on my towel, with my eyes closed, trying to sleep - but the real reason I was doing it was because I was desperate to tan. I was really close to falling asleep, when I heard a distant noise - it sounded like a cry for help.

I instantly got up and looked around and what I saw frightened me - Frankie in the offing, yelling in fear and a grey fin circling around him. I gulped. A shark was swimming around Frankie and I had to do something about it!

Many weird and illogical thoughts crossed my mind and there was only one thing left to do. I looked around to make sure no one was there to see me and ran into the crystal blue ocean. Diving under, I watched as my tail appeared and used my super speed swimming ability to get to Frankie as soon as possible. Doubt was eating me inside, telling me I shouldn't do what I was intending to, but I just ignored its voice - there was a person in danger and I, as someone who can actually do something about it, was supposed to help. All those myths about mermaids being evil were wrong and I was a living proof of that.

Soon I found myself near Frankie and saw a giant grey shark surrounding him. I straightened my hand in front of me, cooling down the water temperature and the shark's blood. As soon as it felt the coldness, the shark had left in the direction of the greater oceans' deeps, leaving Frankie and me safe and sound. Frankie's legs stopped thrashing the water and I could tell he noticed the shark won't bug him again.

I swam behind Frankie and surfaced, careful enough not to expose my tail. I gently put my left hand around his stomach and sighed.

"Are you okay?" I asked in a concerned tone. Man, he really got me worried!

Instead of replying, he arched me with a puzzled glare. "Melissa? What are you doing here? I thought you can't swim."

"Close your eyes and shut up!" I ordered. I was not really in the mood to answer questions since the whole situation scared me and angered me both at the same time.

"Why?" So many questions. Gee, those men can really be a pain in the ass with having to know everything.

"Just do it!"

When he finally closed his eyes, I used my right hand to start swimming - with my left one holding him. Waving my tail, I speeded up to the shoal, where I left Frankie and quickly disappeared in the ocean, on my way to Ooha'oma. May was so going to get in trouble for this!

-H2O-

When I finally dried off in the moon pool's cave, I took the cell phone I left there a day before and went for a walk on the beach - let me tell you how much I was searching for that cell phone for the whole damn night before I remembered where I left it.

I called May and as soon as she picked up, I began my talk - oh, I had so many things to say to her. "Listen, May. This is the last damn time I'm doing you a favor. Next time you'll have to pay me or find someone else to babysit your cousins' shells!"

"_What the hell happened?" _May asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Nothing. He was only surrounded by a shark and I had to go save him. Not to mention he was pretty deep so I had to swim to him and make the shark go away with my power. And before you ask, no, I was being careful so I don't think he saw my tail and no, he did not see me using my power."

"_So why are you calling me then?"_ May could be so stupid at times.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe to let you know I helped your cousin and that you try to cover it up in case he actually saw something."

I heard her cough. "Okay. Need anything else?"

I took a deep breath and tried to restrain myself from scolding her over the phone. Instead I hung up and sighed, balling my fists in anger. If I had Destiny's power, the whole ocean would probably be hot now.

-H2O-

That night Destiny and I decided to visit May. As soon as we entered the house, we heard Frankie talking about what happened with the shark and bragging me.

"It was incredible! She swam like a dolphin! She dove out behind me and somehow swam in some kind of super speed or something to the shoal. I still don't get it how she did it since she said she sucks at swimming, but that swimming... It was amazing! And did I say she swam like a dolphin? Screw that, she was even faster."

I shook my head in disbelief as Destiny eyed me. Yes, I did tell her about the whole thing on our way here, but she was still kinda shocked by everything - none of us expected Frankie to talk about it like that.

"Oh, really?" May asked in a sly voice.

Frankie nodded and exclaimed: "Melissa is the best swimmer ever! Even better than May and me, but since I learned to swim first, May comes second."

May eyed him. "What? I was four when I learned to swim, while you had those plastic duckies around your waist and arms until you were five!"

"That is so not true! I learned to swim at the age of three!"

"Oh, yeah? I learned it at the age of two!"

"I at one!"

"I when I wasn't even born yet!"

And there they started their little argument about who was the first to learn how to swim. Destiny, Mrs. and Mr. Seward, Taylor and I couldn't help but laugh, while Frankie and May didn't seem to give a damn about it.

"I can swim way better than you! You have to lie that you've got your period so you don't have to admit I'm better!"

"Oh, yeah? If you knew me any better, you'd know I'm one of the best swimmers on the planet!"

"Don't make me laugh!"

"Only jealous ones laugh at those who are better than them!"

"You are the one who started it!"

"Me? You said you learned to swim first, which is so not true!"

"It so is! I was first!"

"No, I was!"

"No, I!"

"I!"

"I!"

"I!"

"I!"

"I!"

"I!"

"WOULD YOU TWO SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY?" Taylor's shriek interrupted their argument. The arguing twosome looked at their cousin - and sister - as she pointed a death glare at them. "What's wrong with you two? Seriously, I thought you grew out of those 'who learned to swim first' fights. Can't you just drop it?"

"No, because Frankie won't admit the truth", May hissed under her breath; her eyes pointed towards Frankie, who eyed her back.

"May should learn that lying is not a good thing" he hissed at her as well.

"Enough!" Taylor cried as if she heard their mutters.

**May's POV**

The next morning I got up pretty early because Melissa, Destiny and I agreed to go for a morning swim. Last night's argument with Frankie really tired me and made me go to bed earlier than usual. How I hated him for being such a brat - yes, he was exactly six months younger than me, but that doesn't mean he has the right to act like a moron. The truth is that I learned to swim a year before he did - my mom can verify that since she was at the beach with me when that happened. Frankie's pride just doesn't allow him to accept the fact that his dorky cousin learned to swim at his place - in Australia - before he did.

After I brushed my teeth and got dressed, I headed outside with the intention of quickly running into the ocean before anyone can see me - especially Frankie. Who would expect him to be a person who stopped me just when I was about to open the front door.

"What are you hiding?" he asked me in a suspicious tone.

I frowned. "Nothing. Why?"

"You acted strange yesterday when I talked about Melissa swimming with me. And I think you know exactly how she managed to swim so fast."

"How the hell am I supposed to know that? She almost drowned when we were at the city pools during a school field trip two years ago so I kinda thought she can't swim."

"You're lying. I can feel it in your voice."

I turned on my heel to face him. "What makes you think that?"

"Just a hunch. It's okay to tell me, you know? I won't tell anyone whatever the hell you are hiding, but I would like to know about it."

"Not gonna happen."

"So you are hiding something?"

"Maybe. And maybe not."

"I don't like to play games, May."

"Then stay out of this!" And with that, I left the house and as fast as I could, I ran to the beach and dove under the ocean. Oh, how I needed that swim.

-H2O-

After a long swim, the girls and I decided to get out and have a lunch at noon at my place. Entering the house, we were greeted by Frankie, who lead us to the kitchen, saying I have to explain some things.

In the kitchen Taylor, mom and dad were eating their lunch and asking us to join, The girls and I did, while Frankie refused to eat - he said he had to say something instead.

"I saw you this morning, May", he said in a threatening tone as he eyed me. "You went into the ocean in your clothes and disappeared. I waited on the beach for you and went swimming to search for you, but I haven't found you. I thought you drowned and now you come here, all dry, like nothing had happened. What's going on?"

"Nothing!" I yelled as I took a bite of a fried sardine. Yummy, my favorite! Only Frankie was ruining it with his constant stubbornness.

"Liar. I saw you disappear. How do you explain that?"

"I went to another beach and got out." This sounded more like a question than a reply.

He smirked in disbelief. "And now you're dry."

"Well, I went to Melissa's and dried there."

"No, you did not. You have some sort of secret you keep."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do. And after some thinking, I figured out what it is. I know your secret."

I gasped. My eyes - along with Melissa and Destiny's - went wide opened as the three of us glanced at one another in shock. "You-you do?"

Frankie proudly nodded. "Yes. You could have told me earlier, you know. I wouldn't mind."

"I don't think so, Frankie. And you really don't have to say it in front of everyone."

"It's okay, it's nothing to be ashamed of. I personally think it's great that you have the powers to breathe underwater."

I looked up at him. "I have what?"

"The power to breathe underwater. I watch _Heroes_, you know. You have the same power Alex does."

"No, I don't. I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have any powers - especially not those from _Heroes_ - even though they would come in handy at times. But I do think Alex's power is cool."

"You won't fool me with that. I know you're lying."

"I am not. Try holding my head under the water and you'll see I'll drown. I simply swam to another beach today for exercise purposes."

"In your clothes?"

"Yes, because when you wear clothes in water, your body feels heavier and you try harder to swim. I'm trying to lose weight so I need to try harder."

-H2O-

A week had passed quickly and Frankie and Taylor had to return to Sydney. We said goodbyes to each other - those with Taylor included long-lasted hugging and kissing cheeks. As their plane went off, I went to meet up with girls at the moon pool, where surprisingly they were having an argument whose power is better.

I rolled my eyes. This argument reminded me of the ones about swimming Frankie and I had. Oh, Frankie, I wonder when I'll see you again. I just hope it won't be too soon and that you'll forget all about the events you saw these days or else the girls and my lives are over. This week was pretty stressful for all - Melissa, Destiny and I - and I hope to find something fun to do and forget all about it. After all, mermaids are happy creatures and they have to have fun.

**So, that was it. I don't really like this chapter, but this is all I've got. I would like to ask my readers to review again - for the next chapter I want there to be at least 33 reviews instead of 31 or there'll be no upload. But that doesn't mean you don't have to review. I would also like to hear what you like and didn't like, but please, no flames and/or harsh words. Just say 'I liked this, but didn't this' and stuff like that. Thanks!**

**Alyssa95, you probably noticed the episodes are a bit different than when I talked to you about them. I had to change them to make them a bit better, so don't think you're imagining things or something if you see something different.**

**The next chapter is mainly focused around Melissa. What will happen to her? Will she manage to handle things on her own? Find out in the next chapter.**


	14. Devil of a Job

**The reviews were great. I've got 5, meaning I'm more than happy. Giant thanks to:**

**alyssa95**

**CheddarFetta**

**ElenaxoxoSilber - something similar happens to Melissa is this chapter**

**H2OGirl101 - thanks for letting me know because I had no idea. If there are more mistakes, you (by this I mean all readers) feel free to let me know so I know for the future**

**H2O4ever - glad you like it ;)**

**Let's start with the story now, shall we?**

**Melissa's POV**

As the days went by, the school was getting closer and closer and the holidays were slowly disappearing into nothingness of the past. Sitting on the couch in the living room, I was going through the pages of the fashion magazine - something I always do before the school starts - and searched for the type of outfit that would fit me well and would be fashionable this autumn. After half an hour of searching, I finally found something decent for myself to wear - tunic with many bright and happy colors mixed together, knee length tights and yellow ballet flats.

I smiled as I pictured myself wearing it, but my smile instantly faded after looking at the price tag. The tunic coasted 50$, tights 20$ and ballet flats 65$ - way too much for me to afford it. My parents didn't really have a lot of money and I always looked for cheap clothes to buy - yes, I know my house is big and may seem expensive, but both my grandmas helped with money for it.

I went to the kitchen, where I found my mom preparing a rabbit to be baked - yum, baked rabbit was one of my favorites. I slowly approached her with a magazine in my hands and gently slapped her back to notice me.

"Mom, do you know any easy way to get to the money?" I asked. She turned to face me and her eyes instantly fell onto the magazine I was holding.

"May I see what you want first?" I gave her the magazine and showed her what I was interested in. She smiled as she looked back up at me. "Sweetie, this coasts too much. I can help you with some money, but not with all. So I suggest you find yourself a job."

I glared at her. "A job?"

"Yup. Find something like... Selling ice-cream or delivering newspapers or pizzas or something like that."

I frowned. This job thing might not be such a bad idea. I was capable of working - I was neither lazy like May nor irresponsible like Destiny, meaning I was a perfect candidate for a job. But what job?

Selling ice-cream was a good idea, but I don't wanna end wet or something - like Destiny did - so that's out of question. Delivering pizza or newspapers... Hmmm, that might be good, but with the money I'd get for it I wouldn't even be able to buy those tights that are the cheapest of my desired clothes. But I kinda had something else in mind...

"Mom, do you think I'd be good at babysitting?" Yes, babysitting. What? In my opinion, I can be a good babysitter. I did babysit Misty when she was a brat.

"Well..." Mom gulped. Okay, Misty did almost drown once when I was babysitting her, but it's not my fault that brat decided to lock herself in the bathroom to take a bath and refused to let me in. "I think that might work, actually."

I smiled as I hugged my mom. "Thanks, mom! Would you ask your colleagues if they need a babysitter when you go to work? I'd take anything right now."

Mom nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

-H2O-

"You? A babysitter? I'd love to see that", May laughed at my job decision. I mean, what the hell? If she hated children and didn't know how to deal with them, that doesn't mean I don't and can't.

"I asked mom to find something for me", I said, ignoring May's statement. "I just need the money for clothes, that's all. There's only a few days left till school and you know how picky I am for the first day clothes. And we're starting high school, that's kinda big."

Destiny smiled. "I think you're right. Just be careful. Little kids can be quite tricky - don't let them do what they want. Remember that you have the _power_ here - I mean that in all possible ways - and therefore you should be listened and obeyed. Not the other way around. And be extra careful around water - kids love it and, trust me, they'd like to have a water guns war with you."

I nodded, warmly accepting Destiny's advices. "I'll manage. I can always freeze their damn gun so they won't be able to use it. So what are you girls gonna do this afternoon?"

"I'll just be lazy. But tomorrow I'll walk around the island and take some pictures, maybe even draw", May said.

"And I'll tomorrow take Dyson a bit further from Ooha'oma. He wants to see underwater world all of a sudden", Destiny spoke. "He asked May, but she said no so I'm the lucky girl he'll have with him."

"I always swim with him, now it's your turn", May grinned.

I giggled. They can be quite funny at times - it's not what they say I find funny, but the way they talk to. Their voices sound like the voices of five-year olds. "I see you'll have busy days. I'll be home, waiting for my mom to get me some possibly good news about my job. Anyways, you up for a swim now?"

"You bet", May said and with that, we left the moon pool and went gliding through great and warm oceans' deeps.

-H2O-

I was so impatient while waiting for my mom to get home. As soon as I heard the door opening, I ran to the hallway to see my mom - looking tired - entering the house. I instantly bombed her with questions about my job - you know the usual: "Did you find it? Where? How? How much money? But wait, did you even find it?" and such.

Mom smiled at my persistence. "I found you a job. You-"

I haven't even let her finish before I started to scream like a moron and jump around the house like some kind of a four-year old. "So? How is it? Where is it? Who do I have to babysit?"

"One cute little girl", mom said. "She's my colleague's friend's daughter. She and her mom were in the store for a couple of times and she's such a cutie. A little angel. You'll love her."

"Great!" I shrieked. A cute, little angel was so easy to handle. I'll just stuff her with candies and chocolates and send her to watch the TV and that's it.

"And you won't believe this, but they pay you 100$ for a day", mom continued.

My eyes went wide. "How much?" I needed to hear it again to be sure I wasn't going gaga.

"100$."

"B-but how? Why?"

"I don't really know. But be happy about it - don't question it. Oh and there's this one more thing... You'll have to get there at 8 am and be there until around midnight because the rest of the family is going to visit their cousins and the kid is sick so she has to stay home. Is that okay for you to be there for the whole day?"

"It's fine, I'll love it!" For a 100$ I'd spend a day naked at Antarctica if I had to. That's a lot of money for a teen like me.

"Good. So it's settled. I'll call them to say you accepted." Mom put her hand in the pocket and took some white paper out of it. "Here's the address. And don't forget: be there at exactly eight - not even a minute later."

"It's okay, I can handle it", I said; taking the address out of her hand. As I read it, I found it quite familiar, like I've already been to that house. Maybe it was just my imagination.

-H2O-

The next day, I got up really early - at exactly 6 am. I took my time to pick the clothes I'll wear and decided that chocolate brown knee-length cargoes, yellow hooded T-shirt and white Chuck Taylors were a pretty good choice. I put some makeup on and packed my notebook in the bag - I had to do something while the girl's sleeping so I figured I'd write my book. As always, I put on grandma's necklace and put the cell phone in my pocket.

I checked everything for the last time and when I was finally convinced I've got everything, I said goodbyes to mom and dad and headed to the address I had to be at. I took my bicycle and rode in full speed to get to the house - it's not as if I was gonna be late, I was just so excited I couldn't wait to get there. But my excitement soon turned into fright when I reached the house. I instantly realized why the address was so familiar and I just hoped my mom wrote it down wrong and that I was supposed to be at the neighbor's house instead of at the one with number 45.

That house number 45 - the house I was supposed to be working at for 100$ a day - was a big, two-floored yellow house with a giant, crystal clear pool in the front yard. Judging by the windows and balconies, the house contained many rooms, most of it probably never even been used before. There was a big garden surrounding the pool and many white, pink and red roses along with lots of other colorful flowers proudly bloomed there under the sun. Two years ago, I made a promise to myself not to step into that house ever again, but I guess I'll have to break the promise due to the job needs.

I stood in front of a large, but classy looking fence and waited for someone to let me in. A short and thin woman in her early forties - clad in short white dress and high heels - unlocked the fence and with a warm welcome and a greeting let me in. That very same young-looking and handsome woman led me to the house - her neat and careful walk reminded me of someone closely related to her. Despite her snobbish appearance, she was quite a nice person, but her descendant one was a complete opposite.

Entering the house, I admired all those expensive statues that stood next to the walls and on the shells, and those beautiful pictures that hung on the living room's walls. The furniture looked modern and quite expensive as well - not even single piece of dust could be seen on its surface. I felt panic trying to overwhelm me. What if I break something? How much would I have to pay for it? Would they sue me and send me to jail? Okay, the jail thing was stupid, but hey - stuff happens!

"I haven't seen you in a while", the woman said in her warm, friendly voice. "How have you been, Melissa?"

I curved my lips into a smile. "Fine... I guess."

"You look so grown up! You're way different than two years ago - and I mean it in a good way. You're a beautiful young woman now", she said.

"Thanks", I muttered, which brought a smile onto her pretty face.

"You're welcome, dear. We shall go to the kitchen now so my husband and I can explain the rules to you."

As I entered the kitchen, I found some more expensive and classy furniture which made me almost jealous - why couldn't I have stuff alike these people have? But my jealousy instantly disappeared at the sight of a familiar face standing behind a bar next to a middle-aged man and drinking something that looked like beer along with him. Therese Brown smiled cynically at my appearance as she took another sip of her drink.

"That's enough beer for you, Therese. I don't want you vomiting all the way to aunt's house", her dad warned her.

She ignored his warning and sipped some more beer into the glass. "Oh, I'll be fine. It's not the first time I'm drinking before a car ride."

Her dad rolled his eyes at her. "Whatever. Just don't complain to me how dizzy you feel."

I couldn't believe my eyes. Her parents just let her drink alcohol in front of them - mine would take it away from me if I did it. My parents only allowed me to drink alcohol on parties and such. I wonder if they let the younger daughter drink that junk too.

"So, you're the new nanny, huh?" Therese asked. I could feel it in her voice that she barely held her laughter back. She stepped in front of me and smiled again. "You sure you can handle this?"

"I guess we'll just have to see, will we?" I said; a bit annoyed. As she was walking towards me, I noticed she gained some weight - I guess anorexia was not her style anymore.

"I guess so", she repeated.

Mr. Brown went upstairs and in a few minutes he returned with a small, cute girl holding his hand. The girls' light brown curls were tied into pigtails and her cute face revealed a sick expression through her small, brown eyes. She was almost like Therese's clone, like a younger version of her, but as I said - the girl was adorable, Therese was not even close. She coughed for a few times and hugged her dad's leg.

"Melissa, meet Lilly", Mr. Brown said, pointing to his younger daughter. "Lilly, this is Melissa. She will take care of you today."

"Hi, Mevissa", Lilly muttered.

I kneeled down to her and took her hand. "Hi, Lilly. You seem like a nice girl. The two of us will have so much fun together today. What do you say?"

"Okay", she said. I smiled. Such a cute child. Too bad she has such a monster for an older sister.

"How old are you, Lilly?" I asked. The girl raised her hand and showed me five fingers.

"Five."

"Oh, you're such a big girl so what do you say we do stuff big girls do?"

"Okay." The girl was a real sweetie. I instantly got a feeling this was gonna be an easy task. Too bad my feelings sometimes play tricks on me.

**Destiny's POV**

Dyson boarded his motorboat and headed into the distance - towards Ooha'oma - in full speed. I followed him underwater. On our way to the marina he explained that his sister insisted that he sends her some shells and starfishes in San Francisco or else she'll be coming here. There was a reason Dyson tried to stop her return - he described the scene between Irma and May as a shark and a dolphin hanging out together. That wouldn't be so good.

When we got far enough, he stopped his boat and I surfaced. I asked him for one last time is he wants me to go alone, but he insisted that he comes along. Training to hold his breath for longer were the words he described the reason.

As he got into the water, I took his hand and led him to the bottom. I expected him to ask me to bring him back to the surface, but surprisingly he managed to withstand it. I watched as he collected lots of shells into a plastic bag. I helped too, but every damn shell had to be checked by him or else it won't be let into the bag.

I noticed a few sharks getting closer to us, so I used my power to heat the water and scare them away. Dyson didn't really feel like swimming anymore after that, so he decided to return.

Damn! Two hours of my precious time spent for nothing.

**May's POV**

Surfacing at Ooha'oma's beach, I crawled out of the water to where it's dry and waited for the sun to dry me off. While waiting, I've got this marvelous idea - why wouldn't I dry myself out on my own?

I put my hand up and twisted it from left to right, levitating the water from myself into the air. When I was dry and in my human form again, I threw the ball of water I got off of myself into the ocean and found my way into the forest. On my back was a rucksack which contained my notebook, pencils, eraser, coloring pencils and other things I needed for drawing. My cell phone was - of course - around my neck, along with my starfish necklace and a shell necklace Dyson gave me. What would I take pictures with if my cell phone wasn't there?

Somewhere in the forest I found myself in front of a creek with no way of passing by it. So I went the easy way. I twisted my hand, dividing the creek and keeping it that way till I passed over it. Soon I reached some rocks that were hidden deep within the forest and in between which ran a fast turquoise colored creek. I found a perfect place for myself to draw.

I sat on top of one of the rocks and put my backpack next to me, taking out my notebook, pencil and eraser. I looked into the trees that swung on the slow, warm wind and sighed. My only hope was that the pictures I'll draw turn out nice.

**Melissa's POV**

"Lilly! What are you doing?" I screamed at the top of my lungs at the little girl who - as soon as her parents and big sister left the house - started to jump around the house and create a mess I think even a tornado wouldn't be able to cause. Funny, she didn't look so sick anymore.

"Playing!" she said as she continued throwing all the papers and decorations off the tables and cupboards. "Join me, Melissa!"

I narrowed my eyes. So she could say my name properly, she just faked it earlier. She faked illness too, probably to stay home and torture whatever nanny her parents would pick for her - and I was that lucky girl. I saw Lilly for the last time two years ago and she seemed like a nice child - probably a lie too. And I gotta admit I finally know the reason Browns offered me 100$ a day to babysit her - she's a devil!

I watched in horror as Lilly took a small, silver fairy statue and slammed it against the glass door that lead to the kitchen. The glass shattered into thousands of pieces; some of them landing on Lilly, but she didn't seem to care. She began picking them up and throwing them at me - I jumped behind a couch and covered my head with my hands.

"It's dangerous, Lilly! Stop it! You could hurt yourself that way!" I yelled. Lilly just laughed sinisterly at my cry. "No, Lilly! That's enough!"

I started to panic. I felt my heart pounding faster and faster, louder and louder and I could resemble its beat on my T-shirt. That child was driving me crazy - and by that I mean a lot crazier than Therese's ever driven me. I don't wanna know how this monster will be at my age - I hope I'll move from here until that time arrives.

"Lilly, stop it!" I tried ordering her once again, but it was like talking to the wall. The brat laughed into my face once again and threw a big piece of glass at me. I put my arms over my head again and felt something hurting my left hand; a sound of glass shattering next to me was heard as well. I opened my eyes and observed my hand, only to see a deep and long cut that barely missed my vein. Pieces of broken glass laid next to my leg. I gulped. What if the hands weren't where they were? Would my eyes be hurt?

That was the moment I've had it enough. I got up and eyed Lilly; my widened eyes sending death glare to her small, happy-looking ones. "Alright, that's it!" Without another word I headed towards her, which probably scared her since she ran into the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen, I found no trace of her, which meant she either hid behind a bar or ran upstairs through the stairs that were at the corner of the kitchen. Carefully, I tip toed around the bar, hoping to catch her from behind so I can hold her and not let her get herself or me in danger again. But I was terribly wrong thinking she hasn't planned that out already.

Just when I was about to get behind the bar, I saw the little brat rising up to her feet and everything after that looked like it happened in slow motion. As she was getting back, I noticed in her hands a huge glass full of cold-looking water. She raised her hand she held the glass with and pointed it at my direction. All the water from the glass has risen up into the air and in less than a second landed onto my head, chest and arms. I gasped at the surprising event and gave a final death glare to Lilly, before running upstairs with a hope of getting into some safe room I could dry off in.

I knew I had to react fast so as soon as I reached the first door I managed to get to, I took the cell phone out of my pocket and threw it onto the hard floor. In that exact moment I felt my tail spread down my waist and joined the cell phone on the floor. I quickly closed the door by slapping my fin against it and sighed in relief; happy I managed to keep my secret safe. But happiness wouldn't last for long.

I heard Lilly running up the stairs and hitting the door with her hands, desperately trying to get in. She almost opened the door once, but I slammed my tail against it, closing it hard. I took the cell phone in my hands and crawled to the door, leaning my back onto it. I observed the room I was in - white everywhere, washing machine, toilet, bathtub which looked more like a Jacuzzi - 100% bathroom.

After a couple of minutes of laughing and almost breaking the door, Lilly got up and disappeared somewhere else in the house. My breathing - which was already heavy enough - became even heavier and I felt tears forming in my eyes - the tears I refused to let out. I wouldn't let that kid think she managed to break me. I wouldn't. By my sad feelings were stronger than my pride - the tears fell down my eyes like a rain in a rainforest.

I started to sob and cry my eyes out. A kid - a five-year old kid outsmarted me and broke my down. I've never been this humiliated in my life! I went through the phonebook in my cell phone until I found May's number - I know both hers and Destiny's number without having to find it in the phonebook, but at the moment I was so stressed out I barely knew my own name.

"_Yeah?"_ I heard May's happy voice speak and smiled. She usually never answers calls since she prefers SMS', but I guess it was my lucky day. Why I called her than instead of Destiny? I've got a new phone card and since May and I were MSN-ing last night, she reminded me to write her number into the cell phone. I forgot to write Destiny's too.

"May? Thank God you've answered!" I took a deep breath to calm down a bit - I barely spoke through my sobs and cries.

"_Are you crying, Mel? What's wrong?"_She sounded worried.

I gulped. "May, I need you to get to Therese's house quickly. Before you ask, I'm babysitting her little sister. I'll explain everything when you get here. Please hurry up, I can't take this anymore."

"What happened to the cute little girl you mentioned last night?" Yes, we chatted about my job too. "And to 'this will be easy'?"

"All right, all right, it is not easy. Now please hurry up or I'll be exposed!"

"What?"

"She got me wet!"

"I'm coming right up!"

"Bring Des too!" And with that I hung up. I just hoped she'll get here before that brat thinks of some other way to torture me.

**May's POV**

As soon as Melissa's and mine conversation ended, I put all my drawing equipment into my backpack and ran to the beach. Diving into the ocean, I swam to the beach closest to Destiny's house and used my power to water myself off, before picking my friend up. After explaining her the whole situation, we ran to Therese's house and came across a large fence.

"And how exactly do you think we can get in?" Destiny asked.

I observed the fence, trying to think of a way of getting in. Thinking of a perfect way, I smiled and whispered to Destiny: "This way."

I began climbing up the fence and soon enough I was inside the yard waiting for Destiny to come after me. She was a bit skeptic for a moment, in the end decided to go the same way.

We entered the house without a knock and began calling for Melissa. We heard her yelling that she was upstairs and after a couple of times of getting lost, we finally managed to find her. She let us in and Destiny used her power to quickly dry her off.

"Where's the brat?" Destiny asked.

Melissa gulped. "I don't know."

While Destiny was helping Melissa calm down and get up, I sneaked out of the bathroom and with a quick "I'll find her" I went through the hallways and the rooms upstairs to find the location of a brat.

I heard a sound of something breaking and it led me to the room I least expected to be on the second floor - the kitchen. Imagine it, the house had lower and upper floor kitchen!

Lilly Brown - the very same brat that drove Melissa crazy - stood there next to a table with a big glass full of water.

"All right, brat, put that down!" I ordered. The kid just smiled.

"Make me." She began to rise her hand in the air and I knew she was about to spill the water onto me. She really looked for trouble.

"If that's what you want then fine", I said as I twisted my hand, making the water jump onto Lilly, wetting her all.

With a frightened look on her face, she ran behind a bar, where I followed her close behind. I was not letting her go that easily - not after what she did to my friend.

Noticing that she was near the sink, I did a twist of my hand again, making the faucet leak and splash her again. Screaming, she ran to the door, but I was there faster and I blocked her way.

"Not so fast!"

"What are you, a witch?" she asked as she started to cry. I knew I could handle her - I just knew it.

"Depends how you look at it. Now come with me!" I ordered.

She shook her head as she ran to the table again and sat onto one of the chairs. "No."

Now that really angered me. I noticed her raising her hand again and I saw something that looked like glass in her left hand. "Get up."

"No", she protested.

I rolled my eyes. I guess I I have to go the hard way. "I SAID GET UP!"

Seeing the furious look in my eyes, she instantly did what I told her to.

"DROP THAT!"

She obeyed again. A sharp piece of glass was let out of her hand and hit the floor; falling apart.

"NOW SIT DOWN!"

This time, instead of sitting onto the chair again, she literally sat onto the floor. _Melissa will so like this, I just know she will!_

**Melissa's POV**

After such a neverending day, everyone got what they wanted at the end. Lilly got grounded; no TV, interned, Facebook - yes, Facebook - for a month and such. And I... I've got 150$ instead of 100$. Mrs. Brown was very generous and considerate for what I've been through that day - she said she knows the feelings. And I bet she does.

I was finally able to buy that so wanted clothes. Mom and dad managed to add some more money so I could buy some more clothes, I treated Des and May with coffee - that's the least they deserved after what they did for me that hell of a day spent with that demonic child. I hope I'll be stronger the next time something similar occurs, but I know one thing for sure - no more babysitting for me. Ever!

**Hope you liked this one. I know I did. At least two reviews needed for the next one.**

**Next time: It's high school time. How will the girls deal with new environment? Is high school really what they hoped it to be? Find out in the next episode of H2O.**

**And if you have any ideas for the story, I'm all ears. You may review or PM me. I could like the idea and include it. Of course, you'd be given a credit for the idea if I use it.**


	15. Hydrophobia

**First I'd like to say that I'm very sorry for not updating earlier. Lots of things happened these days and I wasn't able to upload. First I've been sitting next to my crush in the bus that drove me home from school, second I've become obsessed with the TV show Heroes and third I've become so obsessed with Heroes that I've read around 160 pages of the forum thread of the show and faved some fanfics to read later. Sylar rulez! **

**Now that I'm finished with my speech, I owe a huge thanks to these people for reviewing:**

**H2O4ever - lol, Lilly really is a brat!**

**CheddarFetta - I know. I never thought someone could be worse than Illene and Therese. Well, Lilly does have someone to learn that from (older sister for example)**

**alyssa95 - seems like you have way more luck than Melissa has :D**

**Jniems - it's good to have you back *hugs you***

**Anyways, let's start with the story! This chapter is for school lovers (haha)**

**Melissa's POV**

_A great smile garnished my face as I looked into his sapphire blue eyes - their warm and kind shine made me giggle and I couldn't help but notice how sparkling they looked under the sunlight. His wet black hair glued to my face as his lips touched mine and we were soon leaned into a passionate and wild kiss. In the heat of a moment we both fell into the ocean and left the hot rocks burn alone under the sunlight._

_Being in the ocean felt great. I felt as if the water danced around me at my command, which made me widen my smile. My eyes faced those sapphire ones of his' - he smiled too and I could see his perfect white teeth showing an expression of joy. As we surfaced, he pulled me into another hug and our lips merged once more._

_I put my legs around his and curled my toes. Our kisses slowly turned into a hurricane again and I felt him hand touching my back. He untied my bikini top and threw it away. I stood there with my chest bare and nodded. I was just about to pull him into another kiss when I felt something cold on my head and shoulders. Something like the ocean's waves hit me, or..._

"AAAAHHHHHH!" I screamed; raising my torso by leaning onto my hands. Where was I? I looked around; bed, cupboards, desk, computer, closet - my room. I looked up, only to see Misty holding a bow of water and smiling mischievously. That smile... I knew it from somewhere. She always had it when she'd done something.

Then I noticed my head and shoulders were wet - so it wasn't just a dream. Panicking, I quickly jumped out the bed and ran to the nearest safe place possible - the closet. I jumped into it and just when I closed the door, my legs merged into a tail.

I heard Misty laughing hysterically and mumbling something like I was a weirdo, and rolled my eyes. "Misty! You're so gonna pay for this, I swear!"

I heard her laugh even more. "It's the first school day! You don't wanna be late!" And with that, she left the room.

After hearing her closing the door, I let go of the closet door handle and as it opened, my back fell onto the floor. I rolled my eyes. This was gonna be a wild school year. And I hope a pretty damn fun one too.

**Destiny's POV**

"Shut up already! Who takes books with them on their first day?" My mom was - as always - pretty persistent about school. And you wanna hear what she said this time? That I should bring books with me on a first day! I mean, who else does this? Only geeks and those spoiled rich big babies.

Mom - as usual - just rolled her eyes. "Look at the time! Hurry up or you'll be late!"

I checked the time on my cell phone and let out a sigh of annoyance as I glanced at her sharply. "I have two more hours till the school starts!"

"And you still haven't packed your things!" Man, was she stubborn.

"I said I don't need books on my first day!"

"At least take the mechanical pencil, pen and eraser with you!"

"That I will take with me. But it doesn't take me two hours to put it in the pocket!" This was gonna be a long day.

**May's POV**

I glanced at the bathroom mirror with two shirts in each of my hands. One was the jersey kind - blue with a white and shiny crescent moon with glued hundreds of crystals on its surface- and the other one was a normal T-shirt - pink with red crystallized hearts on it. I glanced down at my new, bleached knee-length jeans and my pink Converse's. Which would better go with them? A pink or a blue one?

After ten minutes of staring at myself in the mirror with two shirts in my hands, I decided to go with the blue one. In the exact minute I out it on, I heard the doorbell and my mom's voice saying hello to someone. But who would it be this early in the morning? Probably Destiny. Her mom always makes her go earlier since she - the mom - is a school freak.

"_May, you have a visit!"_ I heard my mom announcing me.

"I'm on my way!" I replied and just as I opened the door and stepped into the hallway, I noticed a familiar male figure standing on the bottom of the stairs; smiling at me - Dyson! He was clad in blue jeans the perfectly fit around his legs, a light blue - almost white - baggy T-shirt, and on his feet were white sneakers.

"'Morning, May. You look great." I smiled at his compliment. I haven't even done my hair, brushed my teeth and cleaned my face yet.

"Thanks. Likewise." He nodded and complimented me with another one of his bright smiles. I couldn't believe it - 7:35 in the morning and he's able to smile that beautifully. Wait - 7:30? The school starts at eight! Knowing me, I was gonna be late on my first day, but it's not like I cared. It's just a new school, nothing serious.

"I came to pick you up. So, are you ready?" Ready? As I said, I still had a few things to get done. I was certainly not ready.

"In a minute!" I hurried back into the bathroom and quickly brushed my teeth - you wouldn't believe it, but I actually got wet and fell down with a tail so I spent a few minutes watering myself off with my power - and cleaned my face. The hair was the only thing that needed to be done now. I ran back to my room to get the hairbrush and quickly brushed my hair. Now I just needed mom to make me that ponytail.

Seeing as there was no time - it was 7:46 - I decided to let my hair in the hands of a first person I see once out of my room. And surprisingly, it was Dyson. He was a bit insecure at first; not knowing what he was doing - imagine that. A scientist that has a problem with ponytails - but eventually he learned it wasn't that hard. I'd done it myself, but my hands were sweaty at the moment and I don't think it would be a good idea to do my hair with sweaty, sticky hands.

Once finished with the hair, I just needed to use the bathroom for the last time before going and take my mechanical pen and eraser. "All right, we're done here!"

-H2O-

My mom drove Dyson and me to school - we got there pretty fast thanks to her driving. It was 7:55 already and - thankfully - the class hasn't started yet. Dyson and I noticed Melissa and Destiny leaned onto one out of many trees in the school yard.

I gotta admit, the school looked much better than our last one. It was a giant, two-floored building made out of finest red bricks. The schoolyard was huge and it looked more like a park than a yard; it had a fountain, benches, trees, garden, lots of flowers and greenery. And did I mention there was this huge beach in right across? If I ever skip, this'll be the shortcut.

"Finally", Melissa groaned as Dyson and I approached her and Des.

"Why are you surprised, Mel? You know May", Dyson teased. I nudged him.

"Oh, shut up."

Hearing the bell ring, the four of us - along with other students - headed toward the door entrance. Destiny and Melissa took hands and squeezed to each other, while Dyson and I did the same, but only I squeezed his right hand and his left one was around me - probably so everyone knows we're together. I kinda liked the scene. In the elementary, I was the one who was always single and alone, without a boyfriend and now the situation was different. I had a boyfriend - and a pretty good one, which is rare these days - and was damn proud of it so I couldn't resist being a showoff.

But as the teachers called the student's names, my friends and I got lost in the crowd. Being an idiot I always am, I went to search for them to the backside of the school. Soon I found myself all alone in an empty hallway; the only sound produced were my feet hitting the hard, white floor while I walked.

I sighed. This was just great. I was lost on my first day of school. I remember one of the teachers saying the classroom's name was twenty... Twenty... Twenty one!

I went from one classroom to another, only to realize the classroom I was supposed to be in was upstairs. Climbing up, I did the same ritual again, until I found a proper classroom.

I knocked onto the door and looked in. I noticed Dyson sitting on the back, waving at me to show me he kept a place for me next to him. Seeing as the teacher - some tall and thin blonde - was turned to the blackboard, I quietly tip-toed over to my place, only to be caught half a way till there by a teacher.

"And you must be Ms. Seward", she said in a sharp voice. I already hated her. I was about to patter an apology, but she neat me to it. "Sit and I don't wanna hear a word."

Rolling my eyes, I sat next to Dyson and pulled my chair as close to him as it was possible. He smiled and just when that blondie of a teacher, we took hands and I leaned my head to rest on his shoulder. Some of our classmates gave us a surprised look, while some thumbed-up and some just smiled.

"Uhm", an annoying cough made us point our look to the blackboard. Oh, great! Blondie strikes again. "Ms. Seward.. May and..." She looked at the student list, "Dyson. This is school, not a park, so I suggest that you pay attention to what I say and stay at least ten centimeters away from each other."

I raised my hand; asking a permission to speak. "Can it be five instead of ten?"

Blondie sharp-looked me again. "Ten!"

**Destiny's POV**

Melissa and I were sitting in the back and observing all those weirdoes that surrounded us. One guy had a devil tattooed on his bald head - I dunno if it was real or not - one had more than twenty piercings all together all over his body, a long-haired girl wore her hair spiked up into the air - she looked like one of those girls from the cartoon Trollz - a group of people had their lips, noses and ears pierced on several places. It was terrible, like I was in hell. But maybe it's true what the old phrase says - heaven means good, but hell is where the bunch is.

I observed Melissa's shocked expression as she eyed our classmates - I could easily tell she wasn't happy being there either.

"And now you'll have a test." I looked up at the teacher after hearing the word 'test'. All the students - including Mel and me - protested and groaned against it, but the teacher held his hands up to signalize us to calm down. "This is just so we can know where to put you. All the freshmen have these kinds of tests on their first day. There are three kinds of classes we can put you: the dumb class - there will go those with a really small amount of points, the average class - there go those with normal amount of points - and the smart class - there go only the smartest students."

I rolled my eyes. _Great! Now I'll even end up in the dumb class. Like it's not enough I'm surrounded with idiots all the time - by this I mean Mel, May and Dyson._ Yes, they're my friends, but at times they can be quite... Not smart.

-H2O-

The test went by well. I managed to copy some things from Melissa and she did the same from me. After the test we were let home and I was finally able to meet with May, Dyson and Melisa all together by going home together. May explained that she copied most of things from Dyson since she knew nothing and he admitted that there were some things in Spanish he didn't get so he copied from her too. Imagine that - he was good in everything except for Spanish. That's the only subject May rocks in.

After going home and changing into our regular clothes, girls, Dyson and I swam over to the moon pool. Thinking this day was hard enough, we enjoyed spending our last few hours of freedom before the dark. And have I mentioned we have the school in the morning for the whole damn year? Well, we thought that day was hard enough, without any idea that the next one will be even harder.

-H2O-

Mom tried to wake me up at six again, but I just told her to screw off - that surely made her quiet. I got up at around seven and packed my books - I mean, what I've had of them since we were told at school that most of the stuff we'll get there since we paid it when we signed in - after which I got dressed and at around 7:54 I was as school. It was pretty crowded out there, but I somehow managed to team up with May, Melissa and Dyson a few minutes later - May was late as usual, Dyson too since he went to pick her up again and Melissa... She went to the store to buy some snacks and spent 20 minutes observing that 'gorgeous' dress she saw and promised to buy it once she gets enough money for it.

After the bell was heard, everyone headed to the classrooms they had yesterday. Melissa and I sat together again and tried not to get involved with those freaks our classmates were. The teaches finally appeared at the door and brought the test results with her.

"Rosalie Harper, dumb class", she began calling up the names. The girl she called - Rosalie - picked her test up and went back to her seat. Next was the boy Daniel and after that weird crowd was over with, Melissa and I finally got our turn. "Melissa Tanner, average class and Destiny Bain, average class."

Hearing the good news, Melissa and I couldn't help but smile. We hugged and almost started to shriek, when we noticed the weird looks our classmates gave us. Great!

**Melissa's POV**

The teacher soon put us in the different class - thank god - and I noticed May standing there in the corner, all alone, and with a sad look on her face. Des and I approached her and each took one of her hands.

"What's wrong, May?" I asked.

She faked a sniff and imitated sobbing. "Dyson got moved... To the geeks!"

"Ooh, sweetie, its okay, Des and I'll help you out during tests." Hearing that, she began sobbing even more. "What? We're not good enough?"

"Well everyone knows Dyson is way smarter than you two put together", she said.

Destiny glared at her. "Thanks, May."

"You're welcome."

-H2O-

All the classes girls and I had together went by fast - and I couldn't complain, it was way better than at any school I've been at - and the last one was just about to start. We were led by a muscular, tall, black-haired guy to the gym - yes, we had PE. The teacher looked quite well, despite his age probably being around 35. His tanned skin looked good with his dark PE clothes and I could notice muscles through his white T-shirt, which made me giggle in excitement. _I wonder how he looks like when he's wet._

"All right, class. Our first task - swimming", he announced, pointing to a large swimming pool in the middle of the gym.

I gulped. The pool + swimming + water = going mermaids in public. Maybe my fantasy about seeing the teacher wet will come true.

While everyone went to the dressing room to change into their swimsuits, May, Destiny and I approached the teacher; all of us holding a small paper in our hands.

"Teacher... We can't play", I said as I gave him a paper. He opened it and read it. "I'm hydrophobic."

May handed him the paper next. "I'm hydrophobic too."

"And I have a chlorine allergy", Des said.

The teacher just nodded in understanding and looked up at us. We were excused - thank god - and all left to hope for was not to get splashed by someone who'd think it's funny. You have no idea how hard the girls and I tried to get those notes. May and I went to psychologist together - who knew May could hysterically cry without a reason. She even introduced me with the onion trick - you put some onion in the pocket and ran your fingers against its surface, after which you rub the places around eyes. Destiny used her power to falsify the chlorine allergy.

-H2O-

As the bell rang to mark the period has ended, all the students went into the dressing room to change back into their clothes, after which they found their way to the hallway, to finally get out of that stuffy room. The smell of chlorine was present in the air and to tell you the truth, it made me sick. I usually liked weird smells, but this one... This one was disgusting.

The only people left in the gym were the girls and I. My sister had called me and I had to answer the call since she wrote me an SMS, saying there is an emergency at home. Can you guess what the emergency was? She lost the remote and thought that maybe I've seen it before going to school. After I scolded her for a minute, she hung up on me and the girls and I were finally able to go to our next class - history.

We heard the ring, meaning we were already meant to be in the classroom. We hurried to the door and in all that rush I forgot to use my brain not to do something stupid. And when I do something stupid, then it's not something to be fixed easily. So was not the thing I did then.

The other students weren't so neat and clean as they left some sports equipment around the pool. Walking by it with the intention to pass by it, I found my feet stuck in the volleyball net. Trying to free myself, I lost balance and in a bit of a second, I found my body hitting the surface of the water in the pool and sinking to the bottom. My eyes went wide as I blinked twice to make myself believe that what happened actually happened. I've fallen into the school pool with a big risk of being exposed. The class' already started and the new students along with the teacher would probably get in and what'd they find in the pool? A mermaid with a bronze tail and gills. A mermaid with freezing powers.

**May's POV**

I was just about to open the door to exit the gym when I heard the splash coming from the pool behind me. Both Destiny and I turned to look back, only to see Melissa on the bottom of the pool. Her tail looked pretty clear from the water and I could tell she was frightened by the movements of her hands - she was desperately waving them around herself, trying to surface.

I gulped. A strange feeling made my heart beat faster. Melissa has fallen into the gym pool. My hands were shaking along with my legs. I glanced at Destiny who looked as frightened, if not even more. _This was it_ were my only thoughts. _We're going to be exposed to the school. We're going to become science projects with no rights to complain and no rights to be treated as humans._

Melissa pointed a scared look at me as she surfaced. I noticed her face was a lot paler than usual. Her small eyes revealed a look full of sadness and regret. I could tell she really felt sorry she wasn't careful enough not to fall.

I instantly went to find something to dry her hands so Des and I can pull her out, when I heard the sound of many feet approaching the gym from the outside. The other students! I panicked. That was definitely a hard situation, but thankfully Destiny had a plan.

"May, you levitate water to the doorknob and then Melissa will freeze it."

Without any thinking, I raised my hand and with a few twists, I managed to levitate a small ball of water from the pool and aim it at the doorknob. Melissa then straightened her hand and froze the wet doorknob. I could hear the groans and moans of students and the teacher as they tried hard to open the door, but with no success.

I was finally able to go find something to dry Melissa's hands, but Destiny beat me to it. She decided to use her power and dry it off. Why haven't we thought of that earlier you might ask? Because Destiny's power is quite dangerous and with only a slight loss of concentration, she could seriously hurt people. I gotta say, I'd like to have that power. Not that I complain since mine is awesome too and I love it more than anything, but heat is definitely something that suits me better. I know that from an online test I've taken last week.

Pulling Melissa as quickly as we were able to, Des and I finally got her out of the pool. Destiny put her hand above her tail and balled her fist, drying her off in an instant. The door were just about to be opened and there was no time to escape through the window, so the girls and I hid under one of the wooden tables that were on the left side of the pool. Why the tables were in the gym in the first place was irrelevant, the only thing that mattered was that we were able to hide.

I heard a loud crack and the door opened in lightning speed, revealing the professor and about twenty students behind him. The all stared at the frozen doorknob and observed it at the close distance, trying to figure out what could've possible caused it.

The girls and I waited till the students left to the dressing room to change and when the professor finally turned his attention to the newspapers he had in his hands, we snaked out and headed to the classroom we were supposed to be at. Imagine that! It was the second day at school and we were already late.

**Next time: May's past comes back to haunt her. The arrival of a person she wanted to forget makes her question some things in her life: has she really changed or is she still that weak sixth-grader? Find out in the next episode of H2O.**

**No flames, please.**


	16. Reckless

**Thanks to these awesome people for reviews:  
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**CheddarFetta**

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**H2O4ever**

**I also owe a big thanks to H2O4ever for giving me tips about writing swimming scenes.**

**Ready for the new chapter? Let's start with it now, shall we?**

**Melissa's POV**

As the bell rang to mark the end of class, the girls and I quickly packed our stuff and ran out to freedom. We wanted to wait for Dyson, but he called May to say he has to stay at school for a little longer, to help his teacher with something in the library.

I couldn't wait to throw my bag in the corner of my room and jump into the sparkling ocean. Swim is one of the things I needed the most that day. It was almost 40°C and normal people were at the beach or in their houses, enjoying the feeling of coldness in their own homes.

While walking home, I caught a glimpse of Destiny rolling her eyes while observing her surroundings - I could easily tell she was annoyed by the hotness of the day. While she walked, she kicked some rock with her foot just to stop thinking of how bored she was - I know because she always did that in moments like this. Her face expression continuously changed from annoyed to bored and her face looked like it held a secret of how not to look hot on a hot day. For a mermaid with heating powers, she sure didn't look _hot_.

I, on the other hand, looked like I spent a week floating near the Sun. I was sweating like crazy and my skin looked so red one would think I got thrown in the hot water. My short clothes - shortest I could find in the closet - was all wet and I probably smelled funny. I was looking forward to the swim and there was nothing to ruin that joy to me. So I thought.

As the girls and I reached the park, I was finally able to sigh in relief as the tall trees towered above us and protected us from the sunlight with its shadows. I heard some people laugh and I immediately recognized those voices - those laughters could never go unnoticed. Illene and Therese laughed at the top of their lungs and hugged some short guy, who laughed along. For some reason that guy looked awfully familiar - that gelled dirty blonde hair, dark eyes and tanned skin seemed so known to me.

As soon as she saw that guy, May's legs stopped moving and she stood still like some old statue. Her eyes were focused on that blondie; her frown as she eyed him soon turned into a look of inconvenience and disgust. I noticed her gulp and take a deep breath, after which she almost unnoticingly shook her head.

"What's wrong, May?" I asked in a concerned tone.

"Nothing", she replied. She blinked for a few times, before taking another deep breath and heading to the pier that stood just a few meters away from the park.

"But May-"

She cut me off. "I don't want to talk about it!" And with that, she jumped off the pier into the ocean, disappearing in its depths.

_What's with her?_ I wondered as I turned to Destiny, whose look was also focused on that blondie. At the time I didn't get it - I mean, why would the two of them be so obsessed with that guy? Who was he anyway? - but soon enough I was introduced to the whole thing.

"Don't you know who that is?" Destiny asked; her voice serious.

I shook my head. "I have no idea. All I know is that something about him made May switch to her angry mode and that you're on your way to that mode too. What's going on?"

"I'm surprised you don't remember him." She paused for a moment. "It's Luke Olsen. Sounds familiar?"

My eyes widened. "_The_ Luke Olsen?"

"Yup. How could you forget about him? After all, he was a dream of every girl at school, including you in fifth and May in the fourth grade."

I swallowed. Luke Olsen. The very sound of that name gave me chills. That guy was the first person I actually liked in Honolulu - when I moved here in fifth and noticed him in my class, I instantly fell in love. Big mistake. He used my feelings toward him in his advantage. He thought that just because I cared about him, I should take his insults and not fight back. Yes, he was a bully. He used to bully me, calling me a cow, stupid, bitch and many other nicknames I don't even wanna bring up. He was friends with Illene and Therese and that threesome were the most popular kids at school. They thought that the whole world was their belonging and that they could do whatever the hell they want to whoever they want. Unpopular kids were their victims. May - like me - was one of them too. Destiny wasn't because she knew how to stand up. I'm just sorry I wasn't as strong as her.

At least I was able to live with it. Listening to their - mostly his - insults every day kinda got me used to it so I didn't even bother anymore. But May did bother. She might seem tough and strong, but the truth is - she's easily hurt. She's very open-minded while with her friends, but at places like school - places with lots of people - she's quiet and tends not to mind any other business but her own. That attracted his attention - he thought that because she was nice and quiet he can do whatever he wants to her.

I remember one time were at math and all the tables were set in the circle. He sat right across May, Des and me. He said something funny and we laughed. Can you imagine what he did after that? He mocked May's smile in a funny way, making the whole class laugh. I could see she was at the edge of tears, but she reluctantly laughed along. That very same night May's mom called and said May's being very violent to her - not in a physical way, but a psychical one - and asked if I maybe knew if something happened at school. I declined everything - not because I didn't want to tell, but because May asked me not to. I guess that was her way of dealing with anger - yelling at her parents. And a few days later he said - also when she smiled - that his dog smiles like that.

I don't even have to mention how many times he called her fat and me anorexic. Just because she's a bit chubby and I'm skinny doesn't make us fat or anorexic. I don't know about her, but I was at the edge of the suicide because he called me that every damn day. She seemed depressed too. I can't believe I felt something other than disgust for him and that almost all the girls at school dreamed about him. How stupid I was.

"Let's go, Melissa." Destiny's voice shook me out of my thoughts, as she grabbed my hand and continued her way. I followed.

"Why's he here?" I asked.

Destiny shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is that in sixth grade he moved at the opposite part of the city because his mother got a job there. Maybe he returned to visit his old _friends_, Illene and Therese. They always seemed awfully close."

**May's POV**

While I sped up in crystal sea depths, I couldn't keep the image of Luke Olsen out of my head. His appearance didn't change much since I last saw him two - almost three - years ago. He was still that blonde-haired, tanned jerk. He only got a bit taller, but was still shorter than me. Even in the distance, I noticed his happy eyes radiating with evilness - they always had a dark vibe and I was always the first person to feel it. What he did to me I'll never forget. The fear of coming to school will never get out of my head. I used to like school and him in fourth grade - which was before he became a moron. In fifth grade everything changed - from mostly nice guy, he turned into an all-time bully.

I was the first on his _list_ of victims; Melissa coming second. When he called me fat for about a month I started to have suicidal thoughts. To get rid of those thoughts I told the teacher and when she asked him why he did that, can you guess what he replied? He was bored. Therese accompanied him too in those insults and her answer at the question why was that if he could do it, why couldn't she too.

I passed a colorful, weird-looking fish and swam into a school of small, blue fishes that peacefully swam around me - it looked like they danced in my environment. In not so far distance, I noticed a dolphin swimming and decided to join him. After all, we _were_ kind of a same kind and maybe he could make me feel a bit better. As I approached him, he allowed me to put my hand on his back fin and together we swam in the distance. I was right - the dolphin really did make me feel better. I just wish he had the power to erase memories that deserved to be erased.

-H2O-

Later that day, Dyson and I went for a walk in the park. He knew what was going on since Mel and Des texted him and kept asking me if I was alright, even though I told him for about hundred times that I was. He knew I was bullied by Luke since he was in our class too and funny thing is he'd done nothing to stop it because Luke bullied him as well. He did stand up to him for a few times, but it ended up bad - he came home with a black eye once. That's actually when he told Luke to back off when he called me stupid for dropping a paper out of my hands. Dyson isn't a type of person who likes to fight - hell, I've never even seen him get angry - but that day he finally managed to find some courage to tell the Olsen boy back and Luke - with his ego hurt - hit him, giving him a bruise around his eye. Of course he didn't tell anyone about it - at home he said that he got hit with a soccer ball and at school that he and his sister had one of their 'fights'.

Being around Dyson, I managed to get Luke out of my head, but the image of him came back as Dyson and I somehow found ourselves in his surroundings. He sat on the bench under a tree, with Illene sitting on his left and Therese on his right. All three of them were laughing at something stupid he said and as soon as they noticed us, their smiles widened - especially Luke's.

"Look who we have here", he said as he got up and eyes me. "Ms. Goody two-shoes and Mr. Nerd."

"What do you want, Luke?" Dyson asked. I instantly squeezed his hand without any intention to let go.

Luke went to approach us and Dyson took a step further to protect me. "So it's true then. You two really are going out."

"What's that got to do with you?" I noticed a piece of rage in Dyson's voice. He really seemed angry at him and worried about me.

Luke cynically smiled. "Oh, nothing. I just... Never pictured you two together. I mean, look at her. Who'd wanna be with someone who looks like her? No cool hairstyle, no makeup. She looks like a lesbo."

"Don't call her that!" Dyson hissed.

"Relax, Dyson. It's okay. I'm perfectly aware that some people can't face the truth. You're just listening to your... Heart. Why don't you listen to your brain and dump her? She ain't worth your time."

"And who are you to judge that?"

"A ladies-man. I know all about woman and I can tell you, this one that's holding your hand isn't worth being with you. Not that I like you or something, this is just a friendly advice." He turned to me. "And I see you're still mute after all these years. Must feel good to have someone to speak for you."

At this comment I couldn't just shut up. I was sick and tired of him talking bad about me and it wasn't Dyson's job to speak for me - he was my boyfriend, but still it didn't feel right that he gets in trouble for me.

"Sorry, I'm not John Edwards; I don't speak to the dead", I said in a serious tone.

Luke's laughter turned into a look of anger - I guess his ego shrinked with my comment. "Tough now, are we?"

"You don't want to mess with me."

"Or?"

I raised my hand for a bit. "You could get in serious trouble."

He - along with Illene and Therese - burst into laughter at my words. Dyson noticed I raised my hand and tried to talk me into putting it back down, but I refused. If Luke wanted a fight, he'd get it.

"You're just letting this, Dyson? You're letting her speak to me like that?" Luke eyed Dyson, who rolled his eyes at him. "Fine, if that's what you want. But I'm telling you, this ain't end up good."

He started walking towards us and Dyson made me take a step back. Luke was going at Dyson - I could see it in his eyes. He wanted to hurt him for not _defending_ him from _me_. I looked around in panic, trying to find something with water in it to use it. I caught a glance of a red hydrant that stood right at the edge of the canal and eyed it with darkness in my eyes. I began twisting my hand, making its valve shake. As my hand-twisting hurried up, the valve shook so hard it eventually flew off as the water from the hydrant exploded out. A strong drift of water hit Luke, throwing him into the canal. I could hear him crying out in shock as his body hit the ocean surface and sank under.

Illene and Therese ran to the edge to see if Luke was alright, while Dyson hugged me and held me tight. I put my arms around him as well and as I leaned my head onto his chest, I felt my lips curving into a smile - a smirk, actually. Luke finally got what he asked for all these years, but still... To me it didn't felt right. It was still not enough; I needed more of this revenge and I was gonna get it.

-H2O-

I didn't go to school the next day. I faked sickness to be allowed to stay home because after seeing Luke I didn't really feel like going to school. What if I see him on my way there or maybe even _there_? What if he moved back here and started going to my school?

It was two o'clock that day and I laid on the couch in the living room, watching my _Heroes_ DVD. That TV show featured people with superpowers - some saving the world, some destroying it, some taking over it. I could relate to many of the characters. My definitely fav one was the bad guy - Sylar. Yes, he was the one I could relate to the most. Just watching him cutting and slicing open his victims' heads made me smile and wonder how great it would be if I was able to do that. I watched as the blood dripped down one person he just killed and narrowed my eyes. Wait, blood? It was basically water, right? So I would be able to control it.

That just gave me an idea. I turned off the TV and headed outside; smiling as I had a new idea in my mind. I've finally found a way to get my revenge on Luke and I couldn't wait to make it true. I wanted to find him and proudly announce him that now it's my time to shine and there was nothing someone could do to stop me.

But as soon as I reached for the door handle, the door suddenly opened and two female figures burst into the house - Melissa and Destiny. They both had concerned looks on their faces and I could see the sadness in their eyes as they eyed me.

"Are you alright?" Melissa asked as she took my hand.

I pulled it back. I didn't want to be touched. "I'm fine", I replied coldly.

"Dyson told us everything. We were so worried", Destiny said.

"He did, didn't he?" I rolled my eyes - did he have to tell them everything?

"Did you really have to use your power? What if he finds out our secret?" Melissa pointed out.

I rolled my eyes once again. "It's my problem what I do with my power!"

"This is our secret too! We too have powers", Destiny said.

"If you had any intelligence, you'd use them sometimes", I backfired.

"You can't just wander around with your power like it's something normal and ordinary", Melissa said.

"Well to me it _is_ normal!"

"Not to people who aren't mermaids!" Melissa yelled.

Ignoring her comment, I was about to get out of the house, but Destiny blocked my way. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Trying to finally bring some justice to this world!"

"Oh, no, you're not!" Melissa stood next to Destiny.

"And who's gonna stop me? You?" I darted her with a cold look.

"If I have to", Melissa replied.

With one more eyes' roll, I said: "Just stay out of my way" and with that I broke in between them and ran to the beach, where I dove under the ocean's blueness. Now it was my time to shine.

**Melissa's POV**

I couldn't believe May acted that way to Destiny and me. We we're her friends and only wanted best for her and how did she repay us? By being a meanie and a psycho.

After she went into the ocean, Destiny wanted us to go after her, but I refused since I knew it was hopeless. May probably thought of that and swam in the direction other than Ooha'oma's or any other familiar ones. After a couple of minutes of thinking what we could do, I finally thought up an idea.

"Let's visit my grandma", I suggested.

Destiny gave me a skeptic look. "What does your grandma have to do with anything?"

"Well she and her friends used to be mermaids and I'm not really sure they were angels."

"I see what you're getting at and I think you're right. Let's give it a shot."

-H2O-

"So she was bullied and now wants revenge?" grandma questioned just as Destiny and I explained the whole situation to her.

Destiny nodded. "We have no idea what to do. She might seriously hurt someone; maybe even kill. I mean, he's only staying here for a week due to his suspension from school and he'll go away by the time his suspension expires. She doesn't have to kill him."

Grandma just nodded in understanding, while I eyed her sadly. "Is there a way to stop her?"

"Yes and no."

"What do you mean?" At my question grandma smiled. I the history-lessons part was coming up.

**Rose's POV**

As soon as I heard these girls' problem, I instantly remembered some situations from my youth. In my mermaid days, I used to do stupid things - not just me, Kate and Jessica too - and some of those things were so stupid one would maybe thing I was some wacko. But one situation was curved in my memory and will never be erased - it was something that happened just a month before Kate and I lost our powers.

"Let me tell you a story, girls", I said and began replaying that moment I lost my friend forever.

_Smiling and laughing, Kate and I headed to Jessica's to ask our friend to go for a swim together. Jessica lived into a small house near the marina, that looked like it will fall apart every second. She was in a bad money situation - she was very poor to be exact - and with her mother not employed and father being dead before she was even born, Jessica had a very hard time growing up. But she managed to find happiness with us - her friends - and the mermaid thing only made us bind closer._

_I was just about to knock onto the door, when I heard two voices screaming at each other at the top of their lungs. Worried, Kate and I went over to the window and looked inside, where we saw Jessica and her mother facing each other and arguing. Jessica's mother was a bit crazy - literally - and it was well know to the almost whole city that she needed psychiatrical help. She was one of the reasons Jessica hated to be home - in fact, she even slept in the moon pool's cave sometimes. Jessica's mother also had trouble with alcohol. She was an alcoholic and in her drunken state she would become very violent - much more than usual - and would sometimes even hit Jessica._

_I gulped as Jessica's mother slapped Jessica so hard she almost fell to the ground. But knowing Jessica, it wouldn't end at that. She got up and hit her mom back, only few times harder and making her fall onto the floor._

"_You think you're better than me? Well, you're not! I'm so embarrassed to have someone like you as a mother! What have I ever done to deserve a parent like you?" she shrieked._

_Her mom just laughed. "And what have I done to have a child like you? Look at you! You have those amazing powers and yet refuse to go public so we can actually earn some money for the living!"_

I froze. Her mother knew about the powers? Did she know about the mermaid thing too? Kate gave me a confused glare and I retaliated. I had no idea what was going on there, all I knew is that it was one of their usual fights.

"_I ain't exposing myself for the money! Do you have any idea what government would do to me? They'd lock me up, saying I was a threat - a terrorist! Do you really want that? Do you want your daughter to be locked up like an animal?" Jessica yelled._

"_If that means getting money, then yes!" Her mom replied, "In that case I want my daughter to be locked up like an animal. At least I'd be able to survive."_

_I noticed Jessica forming a look of disappointment and her eyes widening in shock. I can swear I saw tears running down her cheeks - she was usually good with hiding those, but she probably didn't even bother anymore. She hissed: "Fine, if that's what you want" and raised her hand. Her mother smiled, but as soon as Jessica's hand twisted, she put a hand over her heart and widened her eyes in pain._

_Knowing what she was up to, Kate and I ran into the house and begged her to stop, but she just wouldn't listen. She said that her mother needed to pay for what she's said and there was nothing Kate and I could do to stop our friend from hurting her mother._

_In just a few seconds, Jessica's mother collapsed onto the ground. Kate went over to her to check her pulse and as soon as I saw Kate's skin turning pale, I knew what was going on. That woman - Jessica's mother - was dead. Not alive. Non-existent. Just dead. A piece of old, lifeless flesh that lied on the wooden floor. Jessica just stared coldly at her mother's body; her tears dried off and she didn't even bother to show at least a tiny bit of emotion._

"_Finally", Jessica muttered._

"_Your mom's dead, Jessica. You killed her!" Kate yelled. "At least show some respect!"_

"Maybe it's better this way", Jessica replied coolly

_She ran past me - outside - and headed to the dock. Kate and I followed her. I was in tears and Kate was angry. How could Jessica act like that? It was her mother that she killed just a few minutes ago. Her own mother!_

"Jessica, stop! Where're you going?" Kate asked.

_"To the freedom", she said._

"_What do you mean, to the freedom?" Kate rolled her eyes as Jessica didn't respond. "Jessica, what're you doing?"_

"_Something you're not" was her simple reply._

"_We just want to help you", I spoke through my sobs and tears._

"_Then leave me alone." She glanced at us one last time, before she jumped into the ocean._

_I was about to go after her, but Kate grabbed my hand. "Maybe she should be alone for a few hours. Just to clear her thoughts."  
_  
"But we've never seen her again", I finished my story. I felt a few tears running down my cheeks and quickly wiped them away. I didn't want to upset those girls more than they already were.

"So what's you're saying is to leave May alone and not to disturb her?" Destiny was obviously confused by my story.

I shook my head. "You should go stop her, but don't ever let her _be alone for a few hours_ or else she will never come back. She's your friend, have understanding for her. Don't judge her. Help her. Be there for her. If she wants to use her powers for revenge, then fine. But don't let her actually kill someone."

Nodding in understanding, Melissa and Destiny left my apartment. I glanced at the picture of three young girls that stood on my cupboard and took it into my hands, holding it close to my heart. _You will always be in my heart, Jessica. Both you and Kate. I will never forget you two. Every night I pray that you're alright._

**May's POV**

Walking through the park I faced Luke as he headed to my direction. As always, he wore a cynical smile on his face. He laughed at me for no apparent reason, while I just narrowed my eyes and looked at him with a look full of coldness.

"What brings you here, Ms. Goody two-shoes?" he asked. His question must've been hysterical to him since he almost fell down to the ground laughing.

"There's just... Something I need to do", I replied.

"And what would that be?"

"Something that involves you."

"Oh, really? You finally came to your senses and decided to accept that I'm more superior than you'll ever be."

"It's quite the opposite, actually."

"And how's that?"

"You have no right to treat me like I worth less than you. Who do you think you are, anyway? The king of the world? You're giving yourself much more credit than you deserve."

Luke laughed. "And you're better than me?"

"Who are you to judge me?" I asked sharply.

"Listen, missy, I have smarter stuff to do than listen to your cheesy speech so just disappear", he ordered. "I don't want you in front of my eyes."

"You're the one who'll disappear", I spoke harshly and reached out my hand. I began twisting it, with the intention of controlling Luke's blood. And I managed to get the control over it. I smirked as I felt his blood move along my hand twists; it felt so good to have control over someone who thought he had control over me. Not it's me who has the power to fight, to stand up to someone like him.

Luke brought his hands to where his heart was and glanced at me - for the very first time in my whole life I saw fear in his eyes. Fear of _me_. I heard female voices calling me from behind, but I just didn't care. All I cared for was to get what I wanted - revenge - and there was nothing and no one that could stop me. Not even my best friends.

"It's enough, May", Melissa said. "I think he's got it."

"He learned his lesson", Destiny agreed.

I just ignored their comments and twisted my hand until Luke's eyes peacefully closed and his body collapsed to the hard ground's face. Still smirking, I put my hand down and headed towards Melissa and Destiny. Passing over them, I coldly said: "Call an ambulance for him" and with that, I jumped into the canal and became one with the ocean.

Now that I've got what I wanted, there was no more fear coming from me. The bulling years were gone forever and I've sworn to myself to never let someone think they're better than me. Luke did and he didn't end up well. I myself don't think that violence is the answer, but if that's the only way to get rid of fears - why not?

**This chapter is dedicated to all bulling victims. Remember, there's still hope of living a happy life! Learn to stand up.**

**This bully - Luke Olsen - is based on a real-life bully that used to bully my friend and me. He was from our class and we were... Just his fragile girls he thought he could do whatever the hell he wanted to. He thought it was funny bulling us and some of these insults were our real-life ones. Especially the one with mocking the smile, I'll never forget that one. I felt like crap when he told me that. But my mom didn't call anyone, even though I was a bit of a bitch towards her that day. And yes, he used to call me fat, even though I'm not. And he did say he was bored when the teacher asked him why he did that and the other girl said that if they can do it, so can she (there was one more person involved in all of it, one more guy).**

**Next time: Destiny's family's in a big mess and it's up to her to get the things right.**

**Three reviews or more or no next chapter.**


	17. Family Matters

**I express a great gratitude to these people for reviews!**

**Jniems - thank you for the advice. Thankfully, I'm in high school now and my friends are great.**

**H2O4ever - thanks for the link. I looked it up and it really got me sad...**

**CheddarFetta - yeah, people should really include bulling more into their lives with the point of stopping it or at least talking about it.**

**koolieCallie - thank you for the nice words and a compliment. I hope you continue reading!**

**May's POV**

Ever since I was a little girl, I've always dreamed of becoming a detective. Nine - that was the age at which I started to like CSI. My cousin Taylor was once here and one night when CSI: New York was on she said it was an awesome show so I decided to give it a chance. And guess what - it really was awesome. There was this one case that made me have a sleepless night, but now that I'm older I absolutely adore that episode.

Soon I got into those forensic shows and became a fan of 11th Hour, The Mentalist, CSI: Las Vegas, CSI: New York, CSI: Miami, Bones, Third Watch, Missing and such. I also adore Hercule Poirot and Inspector Columbo and many, many great movies and shows as that.

And now, while watching Bones, it got me wonder would I be a good a detective. Sure, I've seen how lots of things are done on TV, but would I be able to do it in real life?

I was known of passionately getting into things and getting out of them very soon with the very same passion. But this detective thing... It's been in my head for years.

"Do you think I'd be a good detective?" the words slipped out of my mouth as soon as the word 'detective' appeared in my head. It was addressed to my dad. He had been sitting on the sofa left from the couch I was lying on. He - as me - loved forensic shows too. I find it quite understandable since he is a cop, but still... I always find it amazing how he copes with numerous questions I ask him when we watch those shows together.

"You need school for that", he replied instantly.

I rolled my eyes at his answer. Why did everything fun have to include school? It is such a boring institution and I'm convinced it's brainwashing people.

"I just ask _would_ I be good enough."

"If you try hard, you'll be good enough for everything you want."

Now that was the answer I wanted to hear.

Soon I noticed dad getting up the sofa and heading to the stairs. He went up and closed the door of his and mom's room, which instantly revealed me what his intentions were. He was getting ready for his job. His work time - the night shift today - started at 11 o'clock. I guess that kind of jobs aren't that great after all.

-H2O-

Lucky that it's weekend, I got up at nine and ran happily to the kitchen. What I had in mind for the day: swimming, swimming and even more swimming. The school completely exhausted me and all I needed was a day of relaxing gliding through the water and lying on its surface in the moon pool.

As I entered the kitchen, I noticed my dad sitting at the table with a sad look on his face. Mom's expression wasn't any different. They seemed to be talking about something, but as soon as I came in, they turned mute and continued with their chores - dad read the newspapers while mom cooked lunch.

"What's goin' on?" I asked in a serious tone. Something was definitely up and I wanted to - no, I _needed_ to - be included.

"Nothing", mom simply replied.

I shook my head in disbelief. "Liar. What's up?"

"Nothing you should be concerned of", dad said.

"Exactly. This is an adult talk", mom agreed.

Rolling my eyes I eyed the sink and with a smirk and a simple hand twist I made the water run from the faucet and splash my mother. She screamed in surprise and jumped a few steps away from the sink. Dad simply rolled his eyes and my smirk widened. These kinds of things had been happening for a while - more precisely, since that camping trip - and dad got used to it already. Mom not so - she was easily surprised or scared.

"You should really pay someone to fix those damn pipes!" mom glared at dad.

"I can do it myself, without anyone's help", he shot her a glare back.

"I can see that", mom spoke sarcastically. "You're doing a pretty good job."

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" my shriek silenced their argument. Why can't they just tell me things on a simple way so I wouldn't have to waste my powers on them? My hand already hurts me.

"The pipes are broken and-" mom began explaining, but I cut her off.

"I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about the talk you had before I came in."

"Ah, that." Mom sighed and looked at dad. They both nodded at each other - probably to agree that I'm not a baby anymore and that's I'm enough big girl to handle things in a mature way.

"Okay, if you wanna know. But don't freak out." I knew from the start that this will be interesting.

**Destiny's POV**

Ever since I woke up that morning and felt the warm sunlight on my skin in the early hours, my mom's been acting strange. Her face looked sad and surprised, which got me wonder what I did _this_ time to make her like this.

As soon as she saw me entering the living room, she gulped and waved her hand at me to signalize me to come sit with her at the couch. I did as she said and - much to my surprise - saw tears running down her cheeks. Her cheeks soon turned red and swollen due to the salty liquid that leaked out her eyes.

"Mom, what's wrong?" I asked with a dose of concern in my voice. I've never seen my mom cry - I mean, I did once when I was five and accidentally cut her hand with scissors, but this was different. This cry... It didn't seem like a cry of physical - but rather psychical - pain and hurt.

"I have to tell you something, Destiny, and you're not going to like it."

I swallowed. "What is it?"

"It's about your dad." Another stream of tears attacked her face. My heart began pounding faster and faster. Why did I feel like this was something really, _really_ bad? But dad wasn't dead, right? "He's been arrested and will probably go to jail."

My eyes widely opened. "For what?"

"Dolphin hunting." 

"Dolphin hunting? I don't understand." Dad had many faces, but neither one of them would ever break the law. Neither one of them would ever hunt dolphins or any of the protected species for that matter.

"An inspector was passing by the marina and accidentally noticed the illegal nets and dead dolphins on his boat this night."

"But he was here."

"Before he came here. The inspector immediately reported it and your dad got arrested."

"He'll never do such a thing!"

"I know, but there's no evidence he didn't do it. All the evidence leads to him."

-H2O-

"It's just not fair. I know my dad; he'd never do anything like that." After the talk mom and I had, I swam to the moon pool as fast as I could. I just needed a place to be calm and possibly someone to talk to. I had to tell someone or else I'd go insane. Luckily Melissa was there and I was successfully able to tell her everything.

"I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?" I wish there was, but I just... Had no idea what.

I was just about to answer that, when I noticed a mermaid figure surfacing between us - May, of course. At the exact moment she saw me, she tightly wrapped her hands around my neck.

"Oh, sweetie. I'm so sorry for what happened", her words sounded honest and true. She really did care and worry about my situations, but... How the hell did she know? "Dad told me everything." And she beat me to it.

"Thanks, girls, but it's okay." They shot me a glare. "Really. I'm doing fine. You can just let it go."

"No way", May spoke. "I already called Dyson to investigate."

"You what?" I couldn't believe she did that. Did everyone have to know that my dad got arrested for hunting and killing dolphins, and possessing illegal nets?

"You heard me. I called Dyson and told him everything. A sweetheart he is, he volunteered to help."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He'll call or text me if he finds anything."

"You didn't have to do that."

"Oh, come on, Des. What's the worst thing that could happen?" Melissa bowed me with a smile.

**Dyson's POV**

When May told me everything about Destiny's dad, I instantly offered to help. I've known those girls for four years now and they kinda grew on me - especially since I know their biggest secret and that I'm one's dear boyfriend - so it was kind of my duty to help them. Destiny's dad arrested for hunting down dolphins was a serious issue and if it was a false accusation, I wanted to be one of the first people to help lock the real villains up.

After receiving May's call, I went over to my dad to ask him about the case and he confirmed everything - he said that the last name sounded familiar to him and that the man seemed innocent, but there were no evidence to prove his innocence. When I told him it was my friend's dad he arrested, I noticed a look of disappoint o his face. He apologized and said he'd do everything in his power to find some evidence to free Mr. Bain from guilt, but from the start I knew it will be hard. The dolphins and the nets were found on his boat so there was no need to look into the case clearer.

So there I was now, wandering around the marina in search of something suspicious. For a few hours there was nothing out of ordinary to be found, but at around noon it all changed.

I saw three tall, tanned and muscular guys ready to go off with their small fishing boat. They seemed suspicious so I went as close as I was able to them, hiding behind some boxes that stood on the ground.

"Damn it, Bain got locked up!" one of them spoke.

"I know. But think about it, Murray - _he_ got locked up instead of us", the other told the first one, who was definitely called Murray. "We were the ones that only used his boat. The moron paid for our sins."

"Goméz, Murray, you two should really close your mouth for eternity. There's police guarding Bain's boat and they could easily hear your little chat", the third one warned the talking twosome.

Goméz smiled evilly. "Always an obsessive freak, Montana."

"Oh, shut up, granny!"

As they set off to the ocean, I immediately took my cell phone in order to call May. Those three guys - Murray, Goméz and Montana - were obviously the real bad guys, not Destiny's dad. They just used the poor man as their marionette.

I tried calling my girlfriend for a few times, but she was not answering so I figured she was still swimming and her call was hidden somewhere _within_ her body and will be available when she's dry. So I decided to text her. I wrote down everything I saw and heard, and something even more important - the sign that was written at both sides of the criminals' boat - _Cruso_. Whatever that meant.

**May's POV**

I was able to read Dyson's text at one pm - when the girls and I returned from our swim - and arranged a meeting with my boyfriend in park at two. The girls and I got there half an hour earlier - all thanks to Destiny who rushed us up, thinking we'll be late. I could understand her, but if something similar happened to someone from my family, I don't think I'd be like her. I'm famous of my _cold_ heart so I'd probably roll my eyes at the whole thing and think they 'got what they've deserved.' But that's just me, right?

"Where is he? He's late!" Destiny impatiently spoke.

"He's not late - _we're_ early!" Melissa assured her. "Now be patient and cal please."

She cleared her throat. "Okay, I'm calm and patient." But as soon as she got the sight of Dyson, her body started making weird moves again. "To hell with it!" She got up and walked towards Dyson. "What did you find? Where? Who?"

"There are three of them. I texted you the sign on their boat", Dyson looked at me and I nodded. "They were talking about how he got locked instead of them because they were the ones who used his boat. I think they stole his boat when he was at home."

I walked over to Dyson and wrapped my arms around him, before I pulled him into a passionate and thankful kiss. "You were a great help, Dyson. Thanks!"

"You're welcome, May", he replied and awarded me with another juicy kiss.

"We have to do something", Melissa said and eyed Dyson, "And you _have_ to help us."

"Sorry, girls, but my dad just called me to let me know he screwed up something with his computer so I have to go help him fix it if I don't want to find his computer beaten to death."

Melissa shot him a death glare. "What's more important to you, Dyson - your stupid computer or our friend's life?"

"First off, the computer belongs to my dad", he corrected her, "Mine is perfectly fine, thanks. And second off, I don't wanna mess with those guys. They looked scary. Especially that Montana guy - the tallest and the most muscular."

"You can deal with the Goméz guy."

"No way. He looked scary too. He and Murray together."

"But-" Melissa would argue more, but I knew one thing - when Dyson was persistent with something, there's no such thing in the world that would make him give it up. He'd always find good arguments.

"It's okay, Mel. Let the boy go. We can do it ourselves."

He kissed me one more time and said: "I love you", before going off to his direction.

"What was that? He could've helped!" Destiny snapped.

"And you let him go just like that", Melissa added.

I smirked. "Don't worry, girls. I have a plan. You know how much I like those crime/forensic shows, right?" They both nodded. "Well, why don't mimic it? We-"

"How?" Melissa interrupted.

I glared at her. "Let me finish. We could play our own detective game."

"This is not the time to play games, May." This time Destiny interrupted.

"Would you two let me finish! I was thinking of using some methods CSI people use to actually catch those guys on act. Then we would have evidence and could call the police."

Melissa and Destiny glanced at each other for a moment, before they turned back to me with a curious look on their faces.

"I guess we could try", Melissa said.

"And how would we do that?" Destiny asked.

I instantly went to my explaining mode. "All we need is an underwater camera, sound recorder - a call phone can be used - some powder lead, magnifying glass and a brush.

"I have an underwater camera. Grandma got me for birthday a year ago", Melissa spoke.

"I have magnifying glass", Destiny said.

I nodded. "Okay. I'll make powder lead with the help of my old pencils. All we need is a brush." I turned to Destiny - her makeuped made me think of an idea. "Des, do you happen to have a clean, unused powder brush?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I bought a new one yesterday and still haven't used it."

"Perfect."

**Destiny's POV**

That evening at 6 o'clock the girls and I made a deal to go to an action - we agreed to collect evidence ourselves since the police wouldn't do it. As Melissa and I walked towards that boat Dyson told us about, I could feel the panic overwhelming me. _Maybe it was not a good idea to do this _my inner voice spoke to me, but I decided to ignore it. This was about me - my dad - and I would do anything to protect my family. Even step into dangerous zone.

The villains' boat was exactly what Dyson described to us: small with a wooden cabin, lots of water bottles and bins, some wooden boxes and one big box I presume they kept their illegal nets in. The word _Cruso_ proudly stood on the side, written in dark blue letters. The boat wasn't that hard to notice since it was the only one looking at that at the marina, but the hard thing about it was how to get on it unnoticed.

Noticing that it was empty, I took Melissa's hand for a moral support. She was the one that we - May and me - choose to do this task after all.

"But why me?" she whined.

"Because you're the smallest", I explained.

Letting out a quiet groan, she looked around and tiptoed onto the boat. Her task was to hide in that big box - since she was small enough to fit into it - and record their talk with her cell phone.

Slowly raising the box's cover, she got into it and put the cover down onto her head - her head held it up a bit so she could see what those men were doing and record their voice properly.

With a sigh of relief, I distanced from the boat and watched at those three men - Murray, Montana and Goméz from Dyson's description - boarded their boat and set off.

I waited until they were far enough and as soon as I convinced myself they can't and won't see me, I jumped down the marina into a warm, salty ocean. I kicked my legs to take me to the distance and quickly got Melissa's underwater camera off my neck; throwing it at the bottom - otherwise it would be absorbed into me and I wouldn't be able to take pictures without drying off and doing the same process all over again. I felt tingling in my legs and watched as my walking body parts merged together into a bronze tail and my blue T-shirt had gone, replaced by bronze scales covering my breasts.

I reached for the camera that sank to the bottom and picked it up. With a serious look on my face, I headed to the direction the boat headed to with only one thing on my mind - revenge.

**May's POV**

"I can't believe you got me here for this!"

"Please, Dyson. I need you!"

While Destiny and Melissa were doing their tasks, I had to do mine, which was way more fun than any task that could ever exist. My task was to go onto Destiny's dad's - Mr. Bain's - boat and collect fingerprints. How, you might wonder? With a magnifying glass, powder brush, powder lead and scotch tape of course. But there was this problem - two police officers were guarding his boat so there was no way for me to get onto it without some help. That's when Dyson fits in.

"But-" I cut him off.

"You just need to go to that police officers and say... I dunno, that you saw an old lady getting robbed in the park."

"You want me to lie to the police? That's illegal!"

"So is stalking, and we're doing it. You're already a part of this."

"Fine."

With a groan, he went over to the police officers, while I kept my distance. Half the way there he started running and somehow faked he was tired and worried.

"Police, help!" He gasped. "There's an old lady being attacked in the park. An attacker... he's beating her up! I'm really scared for her life!"

Without thinking, the police officers ran toward the park, hoping to stop the fictional crime.

With a smile on my face, I approached my boyfriend and kissed his soft and gentle lips. "Thanks. I knew I could count on you."

He took my hand. "Just be careful."

With a nod, I went onto the boat, while Dyson went back home. This had to be done quickly, before the police officers realize we tricked them.

-H2O-

"Got you!" I used the scotch tape to get the fifth of the prints I found - this one was at the tin glass of water. I took the magnifying glass and - surprisingly - the print matched the other four. The fifth one did not match the other four - the one found at the door handle.

I put the print in my jeans' pocket and was just about to look for another one, when I heard the angry police officers' voices telling how some stupid kid played them over. Without any thinking, I used the back entrance to get to the back side of the deck and jumped into the ocean. As soon as I had my tail, I took off to search for my friends.

**Melissa's POV**

Of all tasks in the world, I had this joy to be in the box on the boat, along with some dangerous-looking criminals and record their voices. First off, that box was so uncomfortable I barely breathed and managed to stay in it. I wanted to jump out of it with all my heart and yell 'I'm free', but that wouldn't look too good, would it?

I turned the sound-recorder on as soon as the criminals started talking. And trust me; I heard lots of things - too much even for my taste. In just five minutes I found out with how many woman Murray slept with in the last two weeks, how many times Goméz pissed and shitted in the last week, and how many times Montana had sex in his whole life - those numbers weren't so small either.

But the things I wished to hear were soon said: how they stole Mr. Bain's boat at night, how they used it to hunt dolphins - because they taste so good, how they bought lots of illegal nets and whom they bought it from.

With the desire to hear more, I raised my head for an inch to raise the cover so I could out my cell phone to record more sound. That's when the things went wrong. The cover fell down and made some noise, which made the criminals turn to me. Eyes wide, they approached me and I innocently waved at them, looking like I have no idea what was going on.

"Hey, guys, look what we have here", the tallest one - I presume it was Montana - said.

"Aww, she's so cute", spoke Goméz, smirking.

Murray kneeled down to me. "Why don't you come with us, little girl?"

And then it all went black.

**Destiny's POV**

Following the criminals from underwater was a great thing - I'd do what I knew best and still do something useful for my family. For a few times, those guys threw their nets in search for dolphins, but luckily no one got hurt. At least I thought so.

After at least hour and a half - almost two - of sailing, the boat stopped and it seemed like it had no intention to move. I swam up and carefully surfaced with only my eyes out of water and noticed three muscular figures staring at something. I approached the boat and raised myself for a bi and got surprised by a scene I saw - Melissa in the box with a dangerous threesome towering her.

The Murray guy said something to her and suddenly hit her in the back of her head, knocking her unconscious. He took her in his arms and along with the other two went into the cabin.

I panicked. Melissa was in trouble. But how was I supposed to help her?

**Melissa's POV**

As soon as I opened my eyes, a great pain in the back of my head greeted me with not so warm welcome. I tried to cover my head with my hands, but with no success - my hands were tied behind me. I found myself sitting on a wooden chair; my legs hands tied.

"She's awake", a blurry voice broke through silence.

I looked up, only to see the Goméz guy staring at me.

"Good morning, little girl. I hope you had a nice sleep."

"Where am I?" I asked. I did not pretend to have no idea - at the time I was so disoriented I really did not know.

"Inside. But let me tell you, nobody will find you. Ever. I know what you tried to do, but... Just stay here and don't bother." He approached me and started untying me hands and legs. "Everything ready?"

"_Everything!_" the voice from outside the cabin answered.

After he untied me, Goméz faced me. "Listen now, little girl-"

"It's Melissa", I corrected him. If there was something I hated more than getting a tail with a touch of water was being called a little girl. My height had something to do with it; at least my mom thinks so.

"Okay, _Melissa_. Right now you'll become lost, you know that? You'll end up somewhere at the bottom of the ocean and no one will ever find you. Just to make sure you won't swim away, we have those special metal bracelets."

I smirked. Did he really think he could drown a mermaid?

I was just about to say something, when the Murray and Montana guy entered the cabin. Montana held two sandwiches in his hands - one he had been eating and the other one he offered to Goméz. Murray ate a donut.

"What will we do with her?" Montana asked.

Goméz smiled. "Let's eat our dinner first." He turned to me. "These dolphin sandwiches are so delicious. Makes you wonder why it's forbidden to hunt dolphins - they're too delicious to be eaten."

**May's POV**

After a couple of minutes of swimming and searching, I finally found the boat and Destiny - the boat was not moving and my friend looked up at it with a concerned look. We were already way too far away from Ooha'oma and it took me hell a lot of time to get there.

I waved at Destiny and she shot a sad look at me. I pointed with my finger towards the surface - signalizing to come up - and she nodded, following me by swimming after.

"What happened?" I asked as we surfaced.

Destiny took a deep breath. "Melissa. They caught her."

"What?" I shrieked.

Des instantly put a finger over my mouth for me to be quieter. "We have to go get her."

-H2O-

After minutes of thinking, Destiny and I somehow managed to use the fact criminals were not careful enough and got onto the boat. She dried us off with her power and we - slowly and as quietly as we possibly could - walked around the cabin in search for a way to free Melissa.

We looked into the cabin and to our surprise she looked fine and unhurt. The only thing is that they had a sadistic look on their faces - they were about to do something to her.

The Montana guy looked randomly around the cabin and somehow his look ended up on the window Des and I were watching through, but luckily Destiny realized what he was to do at the right time and managed to pull me down so I don't end up seen by him.

She quietly told me about the bottles and bins of water that were in there and saw a great chance in it.

Deciding to listen to her advice, I raised my head for a bit and twisted my hand at the sight of water. I noticed some bins next to Goméz guy's feet and made the water from them splash him. Melissa looked up and at the sight of him splashed wandered with her look around the cabin, until she finally realized it was us she's seen. With a wide smile on her face, she turned to Goméz and raised her hand toward him, straightening it.

"Looks like things will get a bit cold in here", she said and Goméz's wet clothes froze on his body, freezing his skin along and making him unable to move. He fell onto the floor and shrieked in pain.

Murray and Montana were just about to get her, when Des and I appeared at the door.

"Don't even think about it!" I threatened and raised my hand, making the water splash onto the two.

Destiny clenched her fingers and soon balled her hand into a fist, making their bodies hot. "I like hot guys."

"And I like 'em wet", I commented and with another twist of my hand I made the tower of water and splashed the standing two, making them fall too. "Let's go, Mel. Out job here is done."

Melissa took my hand and together she, Des and I left the cabin. I splashed some water onto the door handle and Melissa froze it, just in case they try to run away.

I took my cell phone and typed my dad's number. It didn't take long for him to pick up.

"_Hello?"_

"Come to the ocean a bit further than Ooha'oma", I said. "I've got something for you there."

"_What?"_

"The real criminals. The ones that set Destiny's dad up. I've got them." I glanced at my friends. "We've got them."

"_But... How?"_

"No questions, okay? They're here and not going anywhere, so you can just come here to pick them up. We'll leave the evidence in the biggest box." And with that I hung up.

The girls and I left all the evidence we've found on those criminals and with a delightful smile we jumped into the ocean. As soon as our tails were on their place, we waved them and found our way to the ocean depths - we went to search for new adventures.

**This chapter was kinda fun for me to write since this is something I'd probably do in real life. I actually did once when my ducks (yes, my family used to have ducks) disappeared. I was 9 or 10 at the time XD**

**This time I won't tell what will happen next time. But I promise, it will be fun. Take care and I hope you continue reading!**

**For the next chapter I want a minimum of 3 reviews.**


	18. Looks & Attractions

**Thanks a bunch for the reviews! I didn't know there were so many people that had the same wishes I had (detective things). I'm glad I'm not the only one.**

**Jniems - there will soon be something like that. In fact, expect some of it in this and in the next chapter.**

**Dyson's POV**

I stared at the TV - wide eyed - and carefully observed the moves the two people did against each others' body. It was my first time watching porn and I couldn't help but stare at a bunch of stupidity in that kind of movies. I don't get it: how can men watch these kinds of things? It's disgusting and I find it offensive when someone says you're less man if you don't watch it.

Personally, I've never found a point of watching things like that. You can call me a nerd or a geek, or anything you want for that matter, but there's no way in the hell that I'll change my opinion.

But what fascinated me about it was the look in the eyes of that woman that eyed the man. It was filled with such lust and desire I've never seen. It got me thinking: has May ever looked at me like that? Has she ever shot me with a look that said 'I want you?' She's never done that. But why not? I'm a nice guy. I've never done anything harmful to her - well except for that one time when I invented that _Aqua spray_, but that doesn't really count as harmful. I've always treated her with respect and kept her secret safe for more than two months.

Why hasn't she looked at me with so much desire then? She said she had a crush on me since fifth grade. Why doesn't she show it then? A look wouldn't hurt. I look at her with desire all the time so I figured she'll return the favor. Maybe I should've been more obvious with the look. _Yes, that's it, _I figured_, I'll be more obvious. Then she'll get it._

**May's POV**

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I turned on the left side in my bed and covered myself with the sheet. My senses were blurry, but I managed to hear that annoying sound that woke me up every morning I almost slept over the school.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Still blurry, that annoying sound wouldn't shut up. I turned onto the stomach and put the pillow over my head. My eyes still closed; I returned to the dream world I was in just a few minutes ago.

_My tail moved along the waves as I waved my arms back and forth and swam in the direction of that beautiful island. I stared at the wonderful moon that shone above the dark ocean; gray clouds hovering around it. The moon was full and bright; that shining circle sent its golden - but weak - rays of beautiful light towards me. The moonlight looked so beautiful. I slowly swam under the underwater gate into the moon pool and-_

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"WHAT THE HELL?" I jumped; my loud voice tone echoing through the house.

"You've got company, May", mom said from the other side. Luckily, I always lock the door when I'm in my room - even when I'm asleep - so she can't come in, or else I'd already be dragged to the kitchen by force.

"Who dares to interrupt my sleep?"

"Melissa, Destiny and Dyson."

Just what I needed in the early morning hours: the three stooges up on my door!

"What do they want this early?"

"First off, it's not early - it's one pm. Second off, they're here because of the full moon. Something about physics homework."

Oh, right. The full moon. How could I forget? We agreed that Melissa and Destiny will sleep over because of the full moon. I guess Dyson wants to sleep over too.

"I'll be right up."

-H2O-

"Took you long enough." As soon as I entered the living room - full dressed of course - I looked up and noticed Melissa giving me a strange glare.

"Well, excuse me that I'm not a morning person", I shot back.

"It's one", Destiny commented.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

I sat onto the couch next to Dyson and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Melissa sat next to me and Destiny next to him. I saw rucksack in their hands; probably sleeping bags and PJ's. But what interested me the most was the rucksack Dyson had in his hand - it was half open and I noticed a blue sleeping bag inside.

"Uhmmm, Dyson... What is that?" I pointed at his rucksack.

He looked around first; confused and without knowing what I was talking about. Finally he noticed what I pointed my finger at. "Oh, that. It's a sleeping bag." I glared at him with surprise. "What? I'm in this too. You can't get rid of me. You need me."

"No, we don't", Destiny spoke. "We can handle this ourselves."

Dyson shook his head unconvincingly. "Right. Like you handled it last two times."

"That was different. We've learned our lesson", Melissa said.

"Nope, you did not."

"Exactly", I said, "Because I still haven't been moonstruck. So to learn the lesson completely, I have to get moonstruck too."

"NO!" all of them exclaimed.

"Why not? You all had your chance. Why can't I have mine?"

"You remember how I acted? I completely embarrassed myself", Melissa said.

"And what about me? You remember that I burned you when you tried to touch me? I thought humans were a threat to us so I wanted to kill them. I even almost killed Illene and Therese, which wouldn't really be a shame, but still" Destiny added.

"That's because you have no self-control. I, on the contrary, am perfectly self-controllable."

"Especially when you use your powers", Melissa muttered with a dose of sarcasm.

"I heard that."

"Why can't we just go for a swim before the moon rises?" Destiny broke up our little debate.

I looked at her. Melissa instantly agreed and I did the same. A good afternoon swim would do miracles. Luckily it was Saturday and we could swim as much as we wanted to. Destiny and Melissa quickly ran out of the house to get into the ocean as soon as possible. I headed to the door after my friends, when I noticed Dyson giving me a weird glance that kind of remembered me of Freddy Krueger's face expression.

"What?" I asked; confusion obvious in my voice.

His pupils rose up to face mine and his stare became even weirder. His eyes were now widely opened, as if he's seen a ghost. "It's a wonderful day, isn't it?"

With a nod, I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. "Yeah. It is. What's with you?"

"Nothing's with me."

"You seem weird."

"Me? Weird?" He put a hand over his heart. "Now why would you think that?"

"I don't know. Why would I?"

"Don't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"How great feels being here."

I looked around. "Yeah. It does... I guess."

His look became even weirder; it could be described as twisted.

"What's with the look? What did you see? Is there a mouse somewhere in the house?"

"No! Don't you get it?" He looked offended.

"Get what?" What was I supposed to get? That he looked like a moron? If that's so, then yeah: I've got it.

"The look!" He pointed to his eyes. "Don't you get the look?"

"What about it?"

"It's _the_ _sexy_ look." Pride was present in his voice, especially when he said the word _sexy_.

Narrowing my eyes for a bit more, I lowered my head in the direction of his and took a few steps closer to him. My eyes were about three centimeters away from his; observing his odd look.

"What's so sexy about that?" I asked.

He aimed a death glare at me. "You were supposed to look back at me with the same look."

I coughed to clear my throat. "Dyson... In this relationship I'm supposed to make you happy, not frighten you. But you seem to scare me. That's unfair."

"You didn't!" He pouted like a child and spoke with a childish voice. "You didn't just say my sexy look frightened you."

"That was not a _sexy_ look. That was more of a _Freddy Krueger_ look."

"You know nothing about sexy looks _or_ the looks of desire and lust. You don't even have it."

"If those are like that, then I'm glad."

"But how can you say that?"

"I just can, okay? I just can." And with that I left the house and quietly muttered only for myself to hear: "That was so not a sexy look."

-H2O-

Dyson's hand slowly closed the glass balcony door of my room and covered it with a dark sea-green curtain. It was around eight pm and my boyfriend has proudly announced that the moon's risen up just a few seconds ago. Melissa and Destiny possessed my computer and went on Facebook, while I just threw myself onto the bed and played _Shadowalker_ on my cell phone.

Dyson sat next to my head and tried to kiss my right cheek, but I avoided his lips. After the 'sexy look' talk this afternoon I really had no intention of sharing kisses with him. He thought I had no sexy look and seemed quite offended when I told him that his look was in no way in the hell sexy. It was the truth. That look would be found sexy only if Sylar - read 'the television bad guy' - wore it, which was highly impossible.

"You're not angry at me, are you?" he asked; his voice expressing a high amount of ignorance.

"No, not at all. Why would I be angry?" I said sarcastically. "It's only that my boyfriend thinks I have no sexy look and looks offended when I say to him that his 'sexy look' reminds me of a horror movie character. Nothing serious for a girl my age."

"We've been through this: that truly was a sexy look." Damn, how men can be persistent. "I saw it on a por- Discovery Channel."

I rolled my eyes and continued playing my game. "Whatever."

-H2O-

The hours went by and it was already ten pm. Melissa became slightly sleepy, but she managed to sustain from going to bed. Destiny was still on Facebook; her eyes revealed her sleepiness, but she wouldn't move away from the screen. Dyson sat next to her and laughed at some stupid game they played, while I was still laid on the bed, this time playing _Bikini Volleyball._

"I'm hungry", Melissa spoke and broke the silence.

Destiny yawned and stretched her hands. "Me too."

"There's some ice-cream left in the fridge in the kitchen", I said. "You can have it if you want."

Both girls nodded and left the room. They left the door open and I heard them walking down the stairs as slowly and quietly they were able to so they don't wake my parents up.

Dyson was still glued to the computer, which made me quite uncomfortable since I had this strange desire to make out with him due to us being alone in the room. I felt thirsty, so I reached for the small water bottle he brought with himself and drank it - he said earlier he wouldn't mind if I drank some. What's weird about him is that he doesn't drink the pipe water; only the bottled one - the one he's sure is safe.

I aimed a quick glance at the balcony door and made strange thoughts posses my mind. _What would happen if I look at the moon? Would it make me do bad things? Would I be aware of what I'd be doing?_ The curiosity wouldn't let me think normally anymore. My mind was bombing me with 'what if's' and I couldn't keep my cool.

Quietly - not to make Dyson hear me and look back - I got up the bed and tiptoed to the window. I raised my hand and touched the curtain, but slightly backed away once the top of my finger met its soft - but sharp - surface. I frowned. _What am I doing? I could get in some serious trouble if I look at the moon. I could kill someone. The girls would hate me if I did it._

Soon there was a huge debate in my head - my straight mind against my wild teenage hormones. But for some reason my teenage hormones beat my straight mind and made me act stupid.

Gaining enough courage to do so, I widened my eyes and in a just a few seconds moved the curtain just so I can see the full moon's eye. Just as the curtain was out of the way I faced the full sphere hanging on the night's dark face. And in an instant I looked at it I felt its beautiful blaze corrupting my hazel eyes.

Its bright golden-sliverish light lightened my face and brightened the dark night almost as if it was sunny outside. The moon's face was almost parallel to mine and I've got an odd feeling around my heart - the feeling of safeness and protection. The more I looked at the moon, the more I felt attracted to it. I don't know if it was only my imagination, but there was this strange voice deep in my mind - I don't know what it said; all I remember was its hypnotizing tone, a tone that second by second threw me into deeper and deeper trance. Soon everything went black and what I did that night remained a mystery to me. I guess it's true that the curiosity killed the cat.

A bright smile decorated my face; a smile full of joy and happiness. Kisses, kisses... All I had on my mind were kisses. I desperately wanted to kiss someone or at least let my lips touch their skin. Kissing... It felt good. I wanted it.

I squinted my eyes and widened my smile; my eyes were still wide and that squint wasn't big, it was there just to express myself. Dyson said something about the sexy look. I wonder what he thought about this one.

Letting the curtain to hide back the window, I turned on my heel and faced Dyson's back: he was still sitting in front of a computer, chatting with his friends on Facebook.

"Dyson", I called out for him; my voice changed into the one you'd hear on a 'sexy phone service'.

He didn't respond.

I smiled. "Dyson", I called again. I wasn't going to give up. He was my man after all and it was my obligation to call out for him.

This time he looked back at me.

I curved my lips into an even bigger smile and signalized him with my finger to come closer to me. He logged out and rose up from the chair he was sitting at and headed toward me.

I observed his small steps and let out a sigh of satisfaction. Man, I was turned on. I wanted him. His smell - the fresh mint kind - made him even more desirable. His small, beautifully shaped hands and fingertips made me giggle. Everyone has fetish on something, right? Well, my fetish was on hands and his looked simply delicious.

As he approached, I began to laugh. "What do you think about my look now?"

He narrowed his eyes. I could see it in them that he wanted me too. "You mean... Your _sexy look_?"

His words made me laugh more. I don't really know why, I just found it funny. That voice of his sounded like it was made of pure awesomeness - how can something so beautiful even exist? Those cute eyes, perfect smile, beautiful white teeth... I couldn't sustain myself anymore.

I reached for the water bottle and as soon as it was in my hands, I opened it and began pouring water over my head. I burst into laughter while doing that and asked: "Don't you just love the look of water?"

Dyson's eyes went wide as he put his hands on his chin in surprise. "May, what are you doing?"

With one last giggle I fell onto the floor; my tail sprouting to replace my legs. I shot a quick glance at my tail, before turning my look back to Dyson.

"Come here", I said in a seductive tone.

He shook his head. "No."

I raised my hand and waved my index finger to sign him to come closer. "Come to me."

"No." He shook his head again.

"I don't bite." I seductively licked my lips and shot him with a _sexy look_ of mine. "Come to me, Dyson. Come." I smiled. "Come."

A grin spread on his face and with no other words of denial he kneeled down before me and lowered his head. I raised mine and reached my hand out, pulling him into a kiss. His sweet lips touching mine felt great; almost as if my lips were cuddled by a soft and gentle cotton candy.

I gently stroke his hair with my fingers; his soft, silky hairs danced around my skin like a feather on the wind. I began pulling him closer, but when he tried to resist and get away from me, I tightened my grip o him. I was aware of the fact that he couldn't breathe, but it still made me happy when I knew he was helpless in my hands. He was mine - all mine - at the moment. He didn't belong to anyone, but me. His life and all he had was in my hands.

I twirled my tongue in his mouth, but he just refused to play along. A big smile wouldn't leave my face, while his was replaced by an expression of fear.

At that very same moment Melissa and Destiny appeared at the door with a bowl of ice-cream in their hands. Seeing the scene between Dyson and me, Melissa put the bowl onto the bed and together with Destiny went over to Dyson. With a great force they pulled him away from me and made me face the floor.

As soon as he was away, he began taking deep breaths as if he was suffocating. Melissa and Destiny kneeled before him; checking if he was all right.

"What happened?" Destiny asked and shot a quick glance at me. "Why is she transformed?"

"I'm not really sure, but I think it has something to do with the moon", Dyson said.

"Is somebody up for a kiss?" I asked, completely ignoring their little chat. "I have _the sexy look_."

All three of them glanced at me and then looked at each other. I heard them mumbling about something; I'm not sure what it was, but is damn sure ended fast.

The all turned to me and Dyson headed toward me. I could feel the fear his eyes radiated with, but I just didn't care. I wanted him. He was mine.

As soon as he was in my range, I took his hand and pulled him down to me; he almost fell, but he kept his balance. He put his hands around my pits and started to drag me towards the bed. I put my arms around him and smiled - he smiled back, but his smile seemed fake. But what the hell! It's a smile too, right?

Once on the bed, the threesome stood next to me and, along with a frown unapprovingly shook their heads - my two female friends doing the most of it. I managed to get a hold of Dyson's hand once again and almost pulled him onto the bed to me, but Melissa and Destiny kept him on his feet.

"Isn't the moon beautiful?" I asked; my voice tone turning from ordinary to seductive. "Let's all go for a swim."

"What are we gonna do with her?" Destiny asked Melissa and Dyson. The twosome shook their hand; not knowing what to answer.

"Let's leave her here and go downstairs. You never know how she'll use her powers in this state", Melissa warned.

Dyson nodded. "Let's do it."

Destiny agreed too. As Dyson and Melissa left the room, she walked over to me and lowered her torso. "You stay here." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "And do not move."

Licking the edges of my lips, I grabbed her hand and with full force pulled her to me. I passionately kissed her lips; she tried to break free, but my grip was too tight. She somehow managed to get away from me and while leaving the room gave me the most disgusted look one could have.

You'd think that'd make me feel sorry. But no, I did not feel sorry - I felt great. I wanted to kiss some more. I wanted to hold someone. Feel their fingers. Hands. Lips. And if they thought leaving me on that bed in the room would stop me from doing what I intended to, they were wrong. Oh, how wrong they were about it. Little did they know what I'm capable of to get what I want.

I grabbed the sheet and began wiping my hair with it to dry it off. Once dry, I got up the bed and quietly tiptoed out of the room; my bare feet gently touched the fine, wooden floor and left no sound while doing so.

I could easily get out of the house through the front door, but what's the fun in that? Instead, I walked over to the living room and slowly approached the door that led to kitchen; that widely opened door. Inside were my two friends - Des and Mel - they were both behind the counter, with their backs turned to me.

I lowered my torso and on the top on my toes unnoticingly found my way to the back door. Opening the door as quietly as I could, I glanced back for a moment and with a twist of my hand made the water from the faucet break free and splash my friends. Wearing a wide smile, I left the house and soon found myself walking on the beach's soft, sandy surface. Only inches parted me from the most important place in my life - the ocean.

**Dyson's POV**

Once the girls and I got downstairs, we decided that it's best if we leave May as she was in her room. The three of us could easily have fun in the living room and if we wanted to sleep, we'd simply walk into May's room and take our belongings.

The girls decided to search for some drinks around the counter, while I had to use the bathroom. I went to the one that was upstairs; I could easily go to the one downstairs, but May was up and I wanted to be sure she will not leave her room. When I just entered the bathroom, I heard May's room's door opening and quiet footsteps that headed downstairs.

Once finished with my little need, I ran downstairs to check if the girls were alright. I opened the kitchen door and saw May just about to leave the house. She did her hand-movement again and activated her power by making the faucet water splash the girls. She left the house with a smile, while Melissa and Destiny cursed under their breaths.

"May!" Melissa groaned angrily as she faced the floor once her tail had formed.

Destiny dried them both off with her power and soon the three of us stood there; frozen on one place. We discussed what would be a smart thing to do at the moment. Would it be to follow her? Call her parents? Tell her parents? Call Melissa's grandma? Leave her do what she pleases?

There were really not many options, but I decided that the first one would be the best one. The girls couldn't follow her because of the moon, but that doesn't mean I couldn't. I was a perfectly capable candidate for doing it.

The girls were a bit skeptic at first, but they gave it up once they heard my arguments. I just hoped everything would go as planned.

-H2O-

In full speed, I headed towards Ooha'oma with my motorboat. Once there, I left the boat on the beach and broke through various trees to get to the rocks. Somehow I made it there - due to the lack of real light - and as soon as I found the cave entrance, I moved away the rock that covered it and let my body slip inside. As my butt hit the hard ground, I groaned in pain, but my groans silenced once I saw the most beautiful scene in my life.

May floated there, in that shining, crystal blue water; her head and shoulders being the only visible parts of her body. Her face was decorated with a satisfied - yet cute - smile and as soon as she saw me, she approached the edge of the pool and rose her hands onto it.

"Hi, Dyson." Her voice sounded a bit childish and immature, but it seemed to express the innocence she kept hidden deep inside.

"Hi, May", I returned the greeting. She kept smiling at me, and I retaliated. Her innocent, childlike eyes eyed mine; the look I was given somehow made me feel loved and wanted. But I couldn't give myself into. "May, listen. Why don't you and I go home now? Okay? You and me, together." She nodded; her face expression showing joy. "Yu want it too, don't you? So why don't you just let me get you out of the pool and together we can go home? Remember sweetie, just you and me. There's no one to disturb us."

She nodded again. "I'd like that."

"You would, wouldn't you?" I grinned; I had to play her game or else I'd get in trouble with her. And trouble was the last thing I wanted.

She looked around and then waved her finger to show me to approach her. "Wanna help me get out?"

"Sure." I walked over to her and saw her raising her hand for me to take it. As I grabbed it, I went to pull her out, but she outsmarted me - her hand moved back and I found myself falling into the pool, joining her.

Surfacing, I rolled my eyes in frustration - how could I let a moonstruck mermaid outsmart me? I was the genius there, not her. So why was she able to outsmart me?

May's lips curved into a self-indulged smile. I tried to get out of the moon pool, but she tightly wrapped her hands around my chest and made me unable to move - I think she got some kind of a super strength power in that moonstruck mode. I noticed her happily looking up and I curiously aimed my look toward the cone of the volcano to see what's so happy about it.

The moon slowly began covering the cone and the water started to bubble. Small, golden bubbled flew upwards and I saw them dissolving as they reached the cone. When the moon and the cone were completely united, the whole cave glowed bright yellow and the water in the moon pool seemed to be shining in bright silver color. I tried to get out with all my heart, but May's hands were still wrapped around me.

As the moon passed the cone, the water calmed down and the bubbling silenced. With my eyes wide I observed the scenery around me. May was still smiling, while I had that tingly feeling flowing through my body. Have _I just been turned into a mermaid? Have I got powers? Will I get them twelve hours from now?_ were the questions that ran through my mind. I tried to calm myself down, but with no success. I couldn't be a mermaid - or a merman - no! If I had become one, I couldn't go swimming at school anymore then or go swimming with my friends. Yes, I could scuba dive for, like, forever and have powers and I'd be able to do research on myself, but still... That wouldn't be good.

I guess I only have twelve hours to sort things out in my mind and mentally prepare myself for being something only little girls want to be - a merperson. And now there's no way of going back. Why did I have to follow May in the first place?

**This chapter was so much fun to write. So Dyson has issues now with his new secret. What will happen to him? Will he manage to live with it?**

**Next time: new faces, new places, and a quest... Feel free to guess what will happen. Until next time: take care, everyone!**


	19. Boys, Boys, Boys

**The reviews made me laugh lol**

**I'm sure Dyson appreciates your concern for him. Now let's see how he deals with his secret, shall we?**

**Oh, and what was in the last chapter said in "Next time" will be in the next chapter because this chapter is only Dyson-centric. So if you're fans of his, you'll enjoy it.**

**Dyson's POV**

_I jumped into a cold sphere of water called - aka the ocean - and violently kicked my feet until I've got the tingly feeling in my legs. With a gulp I observed the scenery behind me; my legs merging together to allow a long, bronze fishy tail to sprout. I waved my tail and started my quest around the coral reefs; enjoying the feeling of many colorful schools of fish swimming alongside me._

_What I was looking for remains a mystery; all I knew is that it was there, somewhere between the reefs. My hand touched a beautiful light blue coral and I instantly pulled it back - my finger got cut by it. A small river of blood surrounded me, and soon the whole ocean turned red. I began to scream really loud, hoping that someone would hear me. I screamed and I screamed, and I screamed, but no one ever came. I continued screaming and at that exact moment-_

I raised my torso in just a bit of a second; my whole body wet thanks to liters of sweat that consumed it. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. _It was all just a dream. Just a dream._

Even though I tried to convince myself I was only dreaming, I couldn't get rid of an awful feeling I had for the last 18 hours - hours that passed since the incident on Ooha'oma on the night of the full moon. That moment May pulled me into the pool all I thought about was to get out of it as soon as possible. Who'd know that such a girly girl could hold so tight onto me.

Once the moon passed the volcano cone, I knew that it was it. I knew about the secret I'd have to share. The rest of the night seems to somehow be deleted from my memory, but the events of next morning played over and over in my head at least three times every day.

"_Dyson... Dyson!"_

_I felt something gently hitting my arm; it was something soft and mild, like someone's hand. I groaned, trying to stay asleep, but the hand wouldn't stop hitting me._

"_Dyson!"_

_And all that was needed to wake me up was a good-morning-hard slap. I widely opened my eyes and observed my surroundings - I established that I was in the cave by the moon pool, with Destiny and Melissa by my side. Destiny held her hand in the air - that's where the slap came from._

"What?" I asked; shocked by what she did to me. She didn't have to slap me to wake me up. Opera music usually works.

"_You're alive!" Without another word Melissa tightly wrapped her arms around me; pulling me into a hug. "We thought she killed you!"_

_I frowned. May killed me? No way! She'd never do that. She's too sweet. At least when she's moonstruck._

_Wait... Moonstruck? The full moon last night. The pool. Bubbling. Volcano cone. Moonlight. May. Me._

_I screamed as I remembered the events of last night. With my eyes wide opened I glared at my legs. No, I couldn't be a merman. No! I couldn't! May couldn't do that to me. The moon wouldn't let her. Or would it?_

_I sent a scared glance at Melissa and Destiny. "Where is she?" I asked;' she' referring to May._

"_She's at home. And guess what: she doesn't remember anything", Melissa replied._

_I gulped and gasped. She doesn't remember what she did, but I sure do. Who wouldn't remember the night their life got ruined for the rest of eternity? Having no other choice and sick of getting strange glares from them, I decided to tell Melissa and Destiny everything._

_"May... She turned me into a merman."_

Melissa's eyes formed a shocked glare. "She what?"

"_Turned me into a merman", I repeated. I started talking so there was no other way than to tell them the whole story. They seemed to be very interested in hearing it. "Last night when I arrived here, May was in the moon pool. We talked and I offered to take her home and she accepted. She requested that I pull her out of the pool and I... I went over to her to do what she asked, but the moment she took my hand, she pulled it to her and I ended up in the pool."_

"Wait, wait, wait... A moonstruck May asked you to pull her out of the pool, with a promise that she'll go home with you", Melissa tried to understand, "And you believed her?"

"_What was I supposed to do? She looked innocent", I said in a childlike voice._

_Destiny rolled her eyes at my statement. "She looks innocent every time she manipulates someone. And this time she was even moonstruck. Haven't you learned about her looks at school when she feels 'sick and needs to go home or else she'll vomit'?"_

"_Well... I haven't really thought of that." I made a childish face. Mel and Des shot me with a death glare._

"_You can be really dumb sometimes", Destiny commented._

_Melissa nodded. "I agree."_

_We chatted for a bit more, until I decided to test my tail. If I was a merman, I should at least practice my new life. I decided to start with my powers, but they didn't really seem to work. I tried lots of different hand movements, but the girls said they didn't get their powers at first either._

_Next step: tail. I approached the pool's edge and with a deep breath said "I'm ready" to the girls, after which I was supposed to jump into the pool. But I didn't. I was scared of what I've become, scared of losing my humanness._

"_Oh, come on, Dyson", said Destiny, "Be a man for once in your life."_

_Her statement angered me and I was just about to shot something back at her, when I felt small hands hitting my back; pushing me into the water. Melissa for sure._

_I tried to stay under the water for as long as possible, afraid to show the girls I was one of them. I mean, which manly man would ever admit he's a merman? The very second I hit the water, I started counting in my head the seconds that'll show me my fish side._

_1. I gulped and put my hands around a rock underwater in order to keep my body under too._

_2. My breathing fastened and my heart beat so hard and loud I could hear it despite being underwater._

_3. I looked around the underwater part of the moon pool - I guess it will be my new frequent residence so at least I should've start trying to like it._

_4. I noticed a fish approach me, but the moment it saw me, it ran away. Was I really that scary?_

_5. I reached out with my hand and picked some sand into it. God, how long it lasted!_

_6. The sand flew away from my palm; dissolving into water._

_7. This time I picked up a rock - it was small, but it remembered me of myself - so small and tiny and yet a bearer of such a big secret. I wondered how the girls are able to handle it._

_8. I threw the rock away. It brought bad luck! So what if I was small and tiny? I can live with it. If the girls can - and they're girls - so can I. A man. I'm not a sexist, but still... What was this for me? It could only bring good things into my life._

_9. I closed my eyes and made a wish - that I manage to live on as normally as possible. It's not a bad thing to wish for, right? All I wanted was to live in peace with my secret, safe from the bad world. The bright side is that I was the scientist. I could do research on my own body and find out what triggers the transformation - I mean, I know it's water, but what makes it trigger it? Why do we merpeople have powers? Where do they come from? Why do only hand movements allow them to manifest? It's not a bad thing to be different when you can answer many questions unanswered by now._

_10. That's it. I'm ready. I'm ready to face my destiny. My legs are not there anymore - I have a tail. A big, bronze tail. I think it glitters in sunlight. It's slippery and fish-like, but it does not stink like a fish. I opened my eyes, ready to see my tail. There, very there, at the place of my legs stood..._

_My legs! My own tanned, skinny legs. I narrowed my eyes; surprised. Why wasn't there a tail? Where did it go? Was it even there?_

_Still in shock, I let go of the rock and surfaced .With the very touch with upper world, I faced Melissa and Destiny's concerned glances._

"And?" Destiny asked curiously.

_I shook my head. "There's no tail."_

"What?" Destiny was surprised. "I'm telling you, no tail."

"So you're not a mermaid?" Melissa said; it sounded more like a question than a statement.

"_I guess not", I said._

_Destiny cleared her throat. "Let me get this straight - you left us here worried for this ten seconds for nothing?" I nodded. "Are you sure you were in the pool when it bubbled?"_

"I was, I swear." They didn't look convinced. "Wait till the next full moon and get May moonstruck, she'll tell you everything."

"_Maybe only girls can go mermaids", Melissa suggested._

_I frowned. "Maybe." At that exact moment something interesting crossed my mind. "Let's go home, I'm hungry."_

_"We just discovered something big." Melissa aimed a death glare at me. "How can you think about food?"_

"I also have a theory. A very important one."

_Destiny rolled her eyes. "It better be."_

I got up the bed and turned on the light. I know it was Sunday night - actually it was 2 am, which makes it a Monday morning, also known as school morning - but I couldn't sleep anymore after that nightmare. I turned on the computer and looked through my files. All those research about the full moon effects on mermaids and their behavior has finally paid off.

After the last night's event, one thing was for sure - the moon was a sexist. The fact that it only allowed girls to be mermaids is considered unfair by me. I was not a mermaid-wannabe, but it still offended me that the moon had sexistic nature. What if some guy wanted to be a merman and/or wanted powers? What then? If the moon could be sued for discrimination, I'm sure someone would do it.

But beside that, I discovered something else. I had it in my mind those two times before May - the times with Melissa and Destiny - but now that May was moonstruck as well, I could finally confirm my theories. And if my theories were right, the girls would have to be careful about their behavior _at_ the night of the full moon, before it all goes wrong.

-H2O-

The bell marked the end of the class. I slowly moved through the hallway, trying to find the exit door so I can go home and finally get some well deserved sleep. After the sleepless night I had, I just hoped I'd be able to fall asleep easily; with or without nightmares, a sleep is still a sleep and I'd appreciate it.

Once out, I bumped at May in the street and lost my balance - I almost collapsed to the ground, but my girlfriend caught me on time.

"Are you okay?" she asked; concern obvious in her voice.

I nodded; my head down I shame. I was supposed to handle this like a man, but no - I just had to be a wimp. "I'm fine." I took a step further from her.

"I'm sorry about the full moon thing", she said, "Please don't be mad at me."

I turned to her; my eyes meeting hers. I saw she was at the edge of tears and immediately knew I had to justify my behavior toward her. "No, I'm not mad. I'm just tired. I didn't sleep last night and I don't feel very well. I'm sorry if you felt threatened."

"It's okay." She gently hugged me.

"So what is it that you wanted to say?" Destiny broke our romantic moment with her question.

I cleared my throat. "Oh, yeah. It's about the full moon. I discovered that it's affection on you has something to do with your emotions." I turned to Melissa. "You became a party queen, remember?" Then to Destiny. "You were nervous about Melissa's mom's party and became angry at humans." And then to May. "And you were somehow provoked by me about the sexy look - for which I deeply apologize - and you became a sexy lady. Not that's you're not, but you know what I mean."

"So you're saying that we can't even feel normally around the full moon?" Destiny asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. You need to be careful about that.

Melissa rolled her eyes and I noticed an expression full of anger in her eyes. "That's just great! So what's next? We won't be able to breathe normally so our hart reactions don't make the moon feel threatened?" She looked up at the sky and I think she spoke loudly to the moon: "That's what you want, is it? To forbid us to live a normal life! Well, you know what? It's not going to work! Because I'm better than you! You hear me? I'm better than you! You're just-"

I covered her mouth with my hands once I noticed people around us began to stare. "Keep it down, will 'ya? There are people on the street."

"I don't care", she angrily responded, "I just want it to stop. I just want it to leave me alone."

"Guys, look." Both Melissa and I looked at the direction May pointed her finger at. We saw three trailers and an expensive-looking car parking by an abandoned old small building that used to be a store. It stood right across the pier and had a great view on the ocean.

"Someone's moving in?" Destiny asked.

"I guess", I muttered.

"Maybe the new store will open", Melissa assumed.

"I hope it'll be nice and that things there will be affordable", May commented.

**One of the shorter chapters, I know.**

**Who are the people moving in? What's with the store? Will the girls be able to live normally since Dyson told them about the full moon's connection to their emotions?**

**So answer me something: do you like Dyson as human more? And who is your fav character in my series? Who's your least fav? Why?**

**Please answer the questions, I need to know. But also don't forget to review this chapter. And listen to these magical words under:**

**Reviews, reviews, reviews and the next chapter will magically appear!**


	20. Treasure Hunt

**I apologize for the late update. But don't think I abandoned the fic, I'd never do that. I just have another story to plan (a Digimon fanfic) and another one to rewrite. It's 45 chapters long and badly, and I mean badly, written. No description, no anything. And the worst part is that it was written earlier this year. So yeah, I guess I'm lucky I learned to write better before I wrote something else as bad as that. And the school's bugging me with exams as there'll be two or three-week holidays starting Thursday this week. I can't wait!**

**But let's get back to H2O. Thanks for the nice reviews and for answering my questions! It really means a lot. So curious about what will happen? Then I'm not going to distract you from reading anymore.**

**Oh, and make sure to check out my profile page to see the H2O characters' pictures I posted links to. It might help you to visualize the characters better.**

**Before reading just to let you know that from now on I'm writing in third person's POV. I realized it's a lot easier that way.**

Five am. Three hours ago our mermaids did their best to withstand the pressure the school's strict rules put upon them. They slowly breathed out their last breath as the last minutes of class slowly passed by. It were those last minutes that seemed to last forever and it made them feel sick - sick of school, studying and everything related to it. The chemistry teacher didn't go easy on them either - when they got rid of Mrs. Reeds when they finished middle school, they thought that chemistry hell was over once and for all. They were wrong. Mr. Clouds was a lot worse than Mrs. Reeds. He always gave Fs and to get a D you had to study hard. Too hard. No one in his class had a B; As were a mission impossible. The last period they were supposed to have a chemistry test - they had double chemistry and did a repetition for it the first period - but the whole class agreed to skip and go home.

So once it rang and the period was over, May, Melissa and Destiny - along with the whole class - ran home and as soon as they ate their lunch, they found the closest way to get to the ocean and dove under its turquoise surface that glittered in millions of sparkles under the sun's golden rays. They met in the moon pool and spent two and a half hours there just floating and lazing around.

"Wanna go check out Tropicus?" Destiny's voice broke the silence.

Melissa and May shot a curious glare at their friend. They thought about the suggestion for a few seconds, before they agreed and the threesome left the moon pool with a splash as they waved with their tails and dove underwater.

Tropicus was the new café owned by the family that recently moved to Honolulu - the Jenkins'. That family was pretty small and young, and they had only one child - a teenage boy named Chris. Mr. Jenkins was an American cook, while his wife was a Japanese café owner. Chris goes to the same class May, Melissa and Destiny go to and he's been nothing but nice to them and he's made friends with his boy classmates.

The girls were supposed to go to Tropicus a few days earlier, but since it was still new and way too crowded with people as the new places always are, they decided to put it on a hiatus until people realize there's nothing special about it.

-H2O-

When the girls arrived to Tropicus, they were greeted with a mixture of smells produced by various of fresh fruit. The café was small, but it looked pretty nice and modern, and seemed like a safe and protective place. Light blue tones of color decorated the clean walls, and there was probably the most expensive laminate put on the floor's face. The chairs and tables were made out of finest wood - they were all colored in light shades of bronze.

The counter was also bronze and big and there were a few waiters and waitresses standing behind it and making drinks. It was still quite crowded in there and most of the costumers were teens, but there were a few empty seats that had left.

Destiny picked them a table near the counter and the threesome took their seat and went to discuss about what to drink. There were many choices as they wanted to check out new juices they never drank before, but none had money for more than one juice.

"Hello girls."

A soft voice made them look up as it greeted them with its warmth. An average-height Japanese guy stood next between Melissa and May. His small, dark eyes eyed the three girls and seemed to giggle with their playful glow. He had a thick, dark chocolate hair that was a bit longer and the bangs covered almost the whole left side of his face. He was fair skinned - not tanned, but yet not pale. He wore a leather jacket and bleached blue jeans - it is unclear if the high temperature didn't bother him or he just wanted to look cool.

"Hi, Chris", Destiny returned the greeting.

He smiled. "Nice to see you guys here", he said.

He had a Japanese accent and his 'here' sounded like 'hear'. Melissa found it cute, as she giggled at the very sound of his voice, at which Destiny rolled her eyes and May sent her a supportive thumbs up.

"What would you like to order?" Chris asked

"A strawberry smoothie", May spoke; ordering her favorite type of smoothie.

"I'd like a chocolate one", Destiny said.

"All right..." Chris wrote their orders down into his small not and turned to Melissa, who was too busy staring at him to notice he had asked her a question. "What about you?"

"Melissa!" A slap on the hand by Destiny brought her back to reality.

She cleared her throat and spoke: "I'd like a... I dunno. What do you like?" She looked into Chris' eyes.

A smile spread across his face once again as he replied: "Mango."

Melissa smiled as well. "I love mango too. I actually adore it. Give me a mango, will 'ya?"

He wrote it down and went towards the counter to make the girls the smoothies they ordered. As he was leaving, he shot a quick glare at Melissa and winked at her. She winked back, but was unable to say anything.

"You're an idiot!"

"What was that?"

May and Destiny instantly shoot Melissa with questions and statements. She simply rolled her eyes at their words and took a mirror out of her pocket to make sure her hair looked perfect. The other two were about to say something, but she beat them to it.

"Yes, I do like him."

They opened their mouth to make another statement, but she said it before they managed to speak.

"No, I won't ask him out. I just met him a few days ago."

"So? He seems nice", May said.

Melissa was about to give her a reply, when Chris reappeared before them and put their smoothies onto their tables. They thanked him and when he was about to leave, May invited him to sit with them to get to know him a bit more. Smiling, he accepted her offer and told the other waiters that he's taking a break.

The small group chatted for almost an hours; they discovered many things about Chris: that he moved here from Tokyo and that everything's new to him, that he sucks in chemistry, math and English, but is pretty good in physics, that his favorite color is black and lots of funny little facts. He turned out to be a pretty nice person, and a cute and funny guy.

He's learned about the girls too; especially about Melissa, which was brought to him mostly by May and Destiny. Melissa just blushed the whole time and observed his pretty eyes as they sparkled with joy every time her name or something about her was mentioned; he probably liked her too, but she didn't want to check out if her suspicions were true.

As it's gotten pretty late, he had to go back to work, but Destiny asked him to stay for a bit more. He was a bit unsure at first, but decided to stay just to please her.

"Did you know about this?" His question made the girls feel a bit curious, as he took a small newspaper article out of his jeans pocket and struck it out for them to take it and look at it.

Destiny took it out of his hand and read out loud the text: "The reward of 20000$ awaits for the founder of the necklace lost in a wild storm two days ago. That terrible night the boat owned by Mr. Sheffield, an important European businessman, sank and Mr. Sheffield's necklace got lost somewhere on the bottom of the ocean. Twenty-thousand dollar reward goes to whoever finds it."

"Wow", was the only thing Melissa managed to say.

Destiny nodded. "Here's the picture of the necklace."

She put the article in the air to show the other two girls the necklace. It was golden and covered in lots of tiny diamonds, with a big diamond locket hanging from it. It was pretty shiny and looked expensive.

"I'd love to find it", May commented.

Chris nodded in agreement. "Me too. Too bad it's too deep. But maybe I'll try. Maybe..."

"I'll try too", May whispered to Melissa's ear, but the whisper was loud enough for Chris to hear it.

"Aren't you hydrophobic?"

She nervously cleared her throat. "Yes, I am... But my dad isn't. He's a good swimmer and he might want to give it a try."

"If that's the case, you have my best wishes."

"Thanks, Chris."

-H2O-

"Found anything?"

"No, nothing yet."

The moon hung high on the sky and watched over the city covered in darkness. The ocean was calm and peaceful, and the night smelled like a mixture of honey and mint. A small motorboat floated on the ocean's surface; in it stood a fourteen-year old boy that talked to the three female figures whose heads were struck out of the ocean.

"Maybe we should go home and leave this for tomorrow. It's eleven o'clock already and we have school in the morning."

"No, Dyson!"

"But May!"

"May's right, Dyson. We can't leave now."

"Not you too Melissa."

With a devilish smile, three female figures dove back under the cool water. They waved and flipped their tail in order to reach the bottom, where they swam around a big sank boat. The boot that laid on the bottom looked demolished and it was slowly falling apart - it seemed more like it sunk twenty years ago, instead of two days ago.

May and Destiny found the door and swam inside, while Melissa circled around the boat, searching for the expensive necklace. She carefully went through all the algae and underwater plants, and slowly ran her fingers through the soft sand with the hope of finding it.

-H2O-

While the girls were busy underwater, Dyson held a computer magazine and read about new programs and softwares. The sight of bright light made him look up; a small orange boat approached him, and in it was no one but a familiar Asian boy.

"Chris?" was the only thing that slipped down Dyson's lips.

Chris smiled. "Hi, Dyson."

He observed Dyson for a few seconds, before he spoke: "What're you doing here at this hour?"

Dyson swallowed and faked a smile. "Well... You see... I was just... Fishing."

"Isn't it a bit late to be fishing?"

"I'm more of a night person." Dyson chuckled. "How about you?"

"I came here to look for the necklace", Chris replied. "Tomorrow this will be full of divers and I decided to search for it before anyone else does."

"Good for you."

Dyson gulped. Chris was there, getting ready to jump into the ocean's depths. He could not allow him to do it. If he did, the girls' secret would get exposed. Chris was a nice young man, but he was still a new boy in the city and who knew how he'd react to something as big as the girls' mermaid secret?

With a deep breath, Dyson turned to Chris. "Why don't you and I stay here for a while and chat. I heard it's good to relax before you go scuba diving. At least I always relax before I do."

Chris shook his head. "No, I'm good."

"But I insist."

"Thanks, Dyson, but I just want to get this over with. I'm already here and it's late, which means I won't feel so good in the morning, so please let me go."

With a defeated look, Dyson pouted his lips and raised his hands in the air in a defensive way. "You may go, Chris. No one's holding you back."

With a final smile, Chris took a deep breath and jumped into the ocean. Dyson looked after him; his heart beating faster than ever. _I hope the girls'll be okay._

-H2O-

Melissa circled around the boat for a few minutes, when she saw some light not so far away from her. This light looked like it came from a flashlight and Melissa instantly hid behind one of the boat's ripped door.

As the light came closer to her, she could see a hand holding it; with a hand came the bare torso and a face with brown hair. _Chris._ Startled by her crush's appearance, she swam to the other side of the boat, only to see him swimming that way and directly toward her.

Her heart began pounding faster and her arms started to shake.

_He can't be._

Chris proudly swam forward, while Melissa hid behind a rock; it was quite a big rock, but not big enough for her to be hidden for long. Seeing Chris almost near her, she closed her eyes and began praying inside.

_Please don't let him find me. Please don't let him see me like this. Please!_

A minute must have passed, but Chris was nowhere to be seen. Melissa looked around, but there was no sight of the young man. Relieved, she peaked from the left side of the rock and as soon as she saw a scene in front of her, panic overwhelmed her in an instant.

A few meters away from her Chris stood on the sandy surface; three hungry sharks circling around him. Melissa felt tears coming to her eyes, but being in the water made it impossible for the tears to fall. Her face went red and she had a feeling as if thousands of ant ran through her entire body.

_I've got to help him._

She slowly rose her hand and straightened her palm. If nothing, she could at least use her power to help Chris - her power could be used for good cause for once in a while.

_Cold. Cold. Cool. Coldness. Cool it. Their blood. Body. Environment. Cool it. Cool everything._

As her thoughts commanded her power, the water around the sharks began to cool down. Their whole body went cold and they hurried away from their possible victim. Chris crossed his arms on his chest; he was cold too. He was probably much more cold than those sharks.

A satisfied smile spread across Melissa's face as she saw the sharks leaving. She put her hand down and the water slowly returned to its own cold temperature, which was much warmer than the one Melissa made.

Scared and cold, Chris resurfaced, while Melissa went to find her friends. She was just about to enter the boat, when May and Destiny swam out of it. They pointed their index finger towards the surface, signaling that they've seen Chris. They smiled at Melissa, who smiled back.

Melissa looked around and one shiny object in the sand caught her eye. She slowly put her hand down and cleaned the sand from the object, which turned out to be a wonderful necklace. She took it in her hands and smiled at its beauty.

May and Destiny swam to her and gave her thumbs up.

-H2O-

"Oh, my God! Chris, why happened to you?"

As Chris surfaced, Dyson noticed a scared look on his face and became worried; what if he's seen the girls and got frightened?

After taking a few deep breaths to calm down, Chris replied: "Three sharks circled around me. They looked like they were gonna eat me, when the water suddenly became cold and they left. After they left, the water became normal again." 

Dyson nodded. "Good. But don't worry, what happened to you is normal here."

Chris looked shocked. "It is?"

"Yup. Every once in a while the water in this ocean and at this exact place spontaneously cools down and then warms up. No one knows what's causing it, but people here are used to it."

"That's great for them", Chris said and took a deep breath. "But I'll go down once more to see if it's safe."

Dyson reached for him, but before he was able to stop him, Chris was gone to the ocean's depths.

-H2O-

Destiny and May said hello to Melissa and raced towards a beach at May's. Melissa decided to stay and wait for Chris to leave, so she can give Dyson the necklace so they can all go and claim to be founders tomorrow.

She heard a blurry splash and noticed Chris diving back under. Quickly she swam in the direction of Ooha'oma; she wanted to go inside a boat, but she figured Chris might find her there.

Swimming in full speed, she smiled at the thought how close she was to exposing and at how easily she avoided Chris to see her.

But what she did not realize was that Chris saw her tail. He was still in the same position he was when he dove in, but this time something was different; he saw a golden tail. And he was going to uncover the secret behind it.

**Do you like it more in third person or the characters' POVs? I'd like to know.**

I just have to tell you that chapters MAYBE won't come out as soon as they did before because as I said, I have other projects. Hope you understand. But do not worry, I'll finish this story. Six more episodes and the first season is over.

**I almost forgot... Next time find out what happens when you complain about a bad teacher.**


	21. Changes

**Great, mega, huge thanks for the reviews and compliments to my new and old readers ;)**

**I love the opinions about the third and first POV so here's what we'll gonna do: I'll write in 3****rd**** since I need to learn it and improve it.**

**Merry very late Christmas and a very happy late New Year. Hope you spent it good and have lots of happiness this year :D**

**Oh, and make sure to check out my profile for pictures again. I replaced pictures of Dyson and Misty because the old ones didn't look good to me, and these new ones I found for them look more 'them-like'. Also, there is a picture of a new character that will appear from this chapter on - Silvana, and the picture of Ooha'oma.**

Morning sun's bright rays lightened the big room covered in darkness. Once the dark shadows dissolved, they revealed a teenage boy sitting in front of a computer desk. His eyes looked tired an exhausted, like he'd done some hard work and haven't slept in days. His gentle hand held a small pencil in them; as he moved his hand, the pencil made light and soft lines on the surface of a white paper.

The boy yawned; showing the tiredness he endured. He wished he could sleep. He wished for sleep so bad. But wishing got him nowhere. All he kept thinking about was what he saw that night a few days ago. That golden tail; odd, but elegant and pretty was the thing that haven't left his thoughts for days.

He thought of asking people around the town about it, but when it came to describing it, there were no words he could speak to express himself. So he decided to draw it. He's been working on a drawing all those sleepless nights; every night he added a new line or a scale, deleted parts, redrew them of shade them. He had no special artistic talent, but the least he could do was to try to make it at least similar to what he saw.

And after all that hard work he finally did it. The drawing was finished; the tail, along with a fin, looked as beautiful as it looked that night at the ocean. The boy smiled; he was happy that he's finally managed to make it look perfect it. Magnificent. Amazing.

"Chris, you better get up soon. You have school in an hour!" he heard his mom speaking.

"I'll be down in a minute", he replied.

He quickly got dressed and put his school stuff in the bag. As he was ready to leave the room, he noticed a paper with a drawing of a tail lying on the desk's surface. Smirking, he picked it up, carefully pressed it so it doesn't blur or rip off and stuffed it into his leather jacket's pocket.

_Maybe the guys will know more about it. _With that one last thought, he left his room and let the silence take over again.

-H-2-O-

"These are the results of yesterday's test", the chemistry teacher, Mr. Clouds, spoke in his usual, cold tone. "I'm not happy with then. All Fs, with only one D and one C."

The class began looking at their random classmates, trying to find 'traitors' that dared to get a D and a C, while everyone else got an F. May simply rolled her eyes at the situation - she knew her destiny even before she wrote that damned test. And neither C _nor_ D were involved. _This is just boring..._

Melissa looked around the classroom as well; she wanted to find the 'smart' kids too, but she also secretly hoped she was the one with a C. If not a C, D would do just fine. She wasn't too picky when it came to chemistry.

"May I get your attention to read the results?" Mr. Clouds' voice stopped the looks from wandering around the classroom. Once he had all the attention, he began reading the results: "Meredith Hawkins - F, Leo Jackson - F, Noah Evans - F, Melissa Tanner - F, Sandra Pine - F, Jason Hodgins - F, Christy Meyer - F, Daniel Clavis - F, Cole Dawson - F, May Seward - F, René Morales - F, Flint O'Donnell - F, Stephen Browning - F, Jackie Nielsen - F, Candice Wyatt - F, Charlie Lawson - F, Molly Sanders - F and those were all negative grades."

Defeated, Melissa groaned and buried her head into her hands. May just yawned; uninterested in the whole situation, while Destiny shared looks with the teacher.

"The only two positive grades belong to Ms. Bain and Mr. Jenkins. They are the only ones that actually learned something and heard at least a bit of what I've talked about all along. Destiny got a C and Chris got a D."

The whole class clapped in unison, celebrating the twosome's positive grades. The only one that wasn't clapping was May; instead she was too busy with her thoughts to do anything but close her eyes and imagine that she's at the moon pool. _When is this day gonna end? I can't take it anymore._

Soon the teacher gave the tests to their respective owners. All of a sudden the sounds of groaning and anger filled the classroom. Frustration and rage grew as the students read their mistakes and the teacher's corrections of those.

"But this isn't fair!"

"I could've gotten at least half a point here."

"Why could he get half a point there, and I couldn't?"

"He's a liar!"

"Cheater!"

"This sucks!"

"I hate this!"

"I wish Mr. Claude never was my teacher!" 

"I wish he was never anyone's teacher!"

"Me too!"

"Me three!"

"Yeah!"

"We should hold a petition and ask the whole school to sign it, so he can get fired."

"Sounds cool."

"I'm in."

"Me too."

"We need rights!"

"We already have them, but are not allowed to use them by _some_ teachers!" 

The voices filled the usually loud classroom and made it louder than ever; everyone was talking about how they hated and disliked Mr. Clouds and how they wished him to get fired. He was never fair at tests; always gave Fs and barely Cs and Ds.

But as the voices grew louder, he couldn't take it anymore. For his old ears that was too much noise and he couldn't handle it anymore.

"SILENCE!" and with that single word, the voices silenced; the students' eyes were faced with angry-looking ones of a chemistry teahcer.

He walked around the classroom like a police officer; observing the tests of others and the way their looks expressed themselves. Every now and then he'd stop and laugh at someone's wrong answer, and mock them for it.

As he slowly reached the end of this little journey around the classroom, he approached May's desk and took her test into his hands.

"You, girl, had the best statement ever", he said in a mocking tone; devilish smile spreading across his face. "I just don't get it where have you heard that."

"What?" May asked; looking up at him.

All of a sudden he began to laugh uncontrollably; it took him half a minute to calm down for a bit. Finally managing to open his mouth and barely suppressing his laugh, he turned to May and then looked back at the test.

"May... Photosynthesis is the ability to create and control light?" he burst into laughter; the whole class laughed along.

May gave him a confused look.

He suppressed the laugh again. "Dear... Photosynthesis is a process plants use to turn carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars using sunlight. That's all you had to write down."

There was the laugh again, coming from both the teacher and the students.

"What kind of an ability to create light? And control light? You're a smart little girl, but you should stay away from the TV. At least until you're sure you've studied enough, so that there's no confusion between definitions and words."

And with that, he gave her back her test and returned to his seat.

Melissa instantly slapped May's hands; May simply looked at her and rolled her eyes.

"How annoying he is", she whispered.

Melissa nodded. "I know." She chuckled, barely resisting to bursting into laughter. "Photosynthesis is the ability to create and control light? Isn't that _photokinesis_?"

May sighed. "Photokinesis, photosynthesis..." She looked at Melissa. "But I was close. Pretty close, actually. They both have something to do with the light. That's something, right?"

Melissa smiled as she put her hand around May's neck. "You can be such a dummy sometimes."

"But she's our dummy", Destiny's voice was heard from the behind.

The two girls looked back and smiled at their friend. 

"Anyway, class", the teacher interrupted their little conversation, "The petition you talked about is not going to happen."

The whole class groaned.

The teacher rose his index finger in the air. "Let me finish. It is not going to happen because I'm retiring. This is my last day of work. Tomorrow you will have a new teacher."

The class began to loudly clap their hands and yell: "Yaay!"

"I just wanted to say that I will miss you. You were a great class. These Fs you got today can be corrected when the new professor arrives. She'll explain everything to you. You just be nice to her." The teacher's voice was barely heard due to the claps and yells.

-H-2-O-

"I can't believe he's actually leaving."

"Yeah. It's like... He wanted to surprise us."

"I can't wait to meet the new teacher."

Just as the bell rang to mark the end of last period, Dyson, May, Melissa and Destiny headed each to their respective home. On their way they discussed the events that happened at school - the event of the day was obviously the happy announcement that the chemistry teacher was leaving and that someone new will replace him.

"Don't jump to conclusions, May. The new teacher might be even worse than Mr. Clouds", Destiny warned.

May pouted her lips and shook her head. "But he said 'she'. That means that a girl is coming. So she's a girl. We're girls too. We can understand each other", she said in a childish voice.

"Reeds was a girl too and you and I almost failed chemistry in seventh grade", Melissa reminded her.

May cleared her throat. "Don't remind me."

Destiny chuckled. "I just hope this newbie turns out well. I -"

She was cut off by a familiar voice.

"Excuse me, guys. Can I have a moment? I have to ask you something."

The small group looked behind, only to be greeted with a warm smile and curious eyes of an Asian boy.

"Chris!" Melissa said with a big smile across her face; it was obvious she liked his presence. A great wave of happiness overwhelmed her the second she saw him standing behind her.

He rose his hand up and waved a hello. "Hi, Melissa."

"So, what's the question? Shoot", May said, annoyed by the thought of having to wait to hear what he wanted to ask. She was never a patient person; waiting for something drove her insane - literally.

"Right." He put a hand into his jacket pocket and took out a piece of paper. "Do you recognize this 'thing'?"

The moment the guys saw the drawing that was on the paper, their faces changed colors to pale white; May's eyes were wide opened, Melissa's mouth were shaped in an 'O', Destiny gulped, while Dyson repetitively blinked to verify that what was in front of his eyes was true.

The drawing of a tail and a fin made these four individuals question their loyalty to themselves - were they capable of keeping such a great secret for themselves? The perfect image of a mermaid tail was in Chris' hands; it was drawn well and in detail, and so was the fin. He knew about it. He saw it. They weren't good enough at keeping secrets.

"W-what about it?" May asked; her voice a bit shaky, but she did her best to keep cool.

"I saw it a few days ago when I went to search for that necklace and I saw this tail", Chris replied. "I was attacked by sharks and then everything became cold and... And they left and later I saw this. I have no idea what it is, so I hoped you could tell me."

"What a coincidence - neither do we! So why don't you just go play computer games instead?" May spoke quickly.

Chris shook his head. "No, I gotta figure out what this is." He turned to Dyson. "You like science, don't you? Can you help me finding this thing out? I heard you have a lab at home. We could go swimming and maybe we find something useful."

"Sorry, but it's not really possible. I'm only allowed to use my lab for school", Dyson lied. He took the drawing into his hands and squinted his eyes to study it. "This is just some fish passing by. A golden one. Those are seen a lot around here."

"But it was huge."

"Exactly!"

"So why don't you just give it up and... I dunno, go watch cheerleaders practice", Destiny said as she took Chris' hand and pushed him forward. "Boys like to watch cheerleaders."

"But-" he tried to speak up, but was interrupted by her.

"Now!"

With a sad look on his face, Chris watched as three girls and a boy faked smiles and left in their home directions as quick as they were able to. He glanced back at his drawing and then back up toward them. His eyes narrowed as the single thought came to his mind - that four people knew about the creature he was talking about. They knew exactly what happened to him. They knew what it was and what it could do. They knew it - but they hid it. But it wouldn't be hidden for long. He swore to himself that it wouldn't. He would find out what that _secret_ was all about and no one was going to stop him.

_I'll find out about this thing and when I do, I'll no longer be left out. They'll have to share their secret with me whether they want it or not. They're not getting away with it._

-H-2-O-

"He saw you!"

"I know!"

On their way home, the girls couldn't help, but talk about Chris' drawing and his 'discovery'. May was out of her mind; she was obviously freaked out that her secret might end up exposed. She never liked it when other people knew lots of things about her, especially newbies at school. She appreciated her privacy and if Chris was about to interrupt it, he wasn't going to end up well.

Melissa couldn't stop blaming herself for what he saw. She _was_ the one who saved him, after all. He saw _her_ tail, was saved with _her_ power and almost saw _her_ face when _she_ swam by. How could've she been so careless? She should've left as soon as she noticed him. But no! She just had to wait to give Dyson that stupid necklace, instead of swimming away. And now she had to deal with consequences.

Destiny, on the other hand, tried to make herself think positive. She was always like that - the positive girl. There were times when she thought negative of her mermaidness, but once she got used to it, positive thoughts took over.

He didn't see the human part of Melissa, he only saw a tail.

_Good._

He was in danger, but her powers saved him. He didn't see anyone rising their hand to cool his surroundings. Hell, he didn't even see anyone _in_ the water.

_Good._

It was late at night, no one was out there except the five of them. Chris could be easily convinced that he was just sleepy and tired.

_Good._

Destiny smiled. Everything was perfect!

Dyson observed the girls' faces and gulped as he saw them change their expressions so easily; May was a bit scared, then angry, then scared again and so on, and so on. Melissa was confused and frightened over and over again. Destiny was curious at first, but then he noticed her beginning to smile like a psycho.

He wanted to help them; do something for them, but he just didn't know what. If he talked to Chris and tried to convince him he saw nothing, Chris would be even more curious about the whole thing. Dyson was never a good liar and Chris could sense it in his eyes, as well as his voice.

If he, however, tried to fake something up, Chris would want to see it himself and get evidence himself. Dyson could not allow it to happen.

"You guys okay?" Dyson asked; confused and a bit scared at their constant changes.

They were silent for a moment, before Destiny spoke calmly:

"Yup, I'm fine. It's just... Why don't we tell him he was tired, so he was a bit delusional?"

Dyson shook his head. "He won't buy it."

"I have an idea", May said; her voice sounded as happy as when a small child gets candy.

"We can fake evidence", Melissa suggested.

Dyson shook his head again. "He'll want to find evidence himself and in the ocean it'd be a bit hard to fake it."

"But I have an idea", May protested, now getting pretty annoyed for being ignored.

"Telling the truth won't do", Destiny thought out loud.

"Yeah, we don't want that", Melissa agreed.

"So what can we do?" Dyson asked.

Both girls shrugged.

"I SAID I HAVE AN IDEA!" May yelled out loud; her cry made people on the street turn to her and her friends.

Dyson instantly looked at her; he was a bit scared of her when she yelled. Melissa jumped, frightened by the sudden noise. Destiny just rolled her eyes and glanced at her friend.

"And what would that be?" 

"This'll be good", Melissa muttered to herself with a dose of sarcasm.

May smiled evilly, ignoring Melissa's witty comment and happy that she finally got a chance to speak. "Well, you see... We can always kidnap him and torture him and make him keep him mouth shut. If not that, then we also have blackmail, kidnapping someone he loves, a murder, or..."

She kept talking and talking, and talking, but no one listened to her after she mentioned the word 'kidnap'. She was known for her _bright_ ideas and the guys were already used to it, but what she said back then was something they'd never expect her to say at a moment like that. At first they thought she was kidding, but judging by the seriousness of her voice, what she was saying was not a joke at all.

Sighing in defeat, Melissa, Destiny and Dyson continued their way, followed by an angry May.

"It's not fair! You guys never listen to me."

-H-2-O-

Afternoon sun lightened the city; a bright, shining circle rose up and sent the clouds away, taking its place as a sky ruler. May, Melissa and Destiny were seated in their respective seats in a chemistry classroom - they impatiently waited for the new teacher to arrive, so they can get over the last period and go home. The threesome discussed about Chris seeing Melissa's tail again. They talked about it the whole day yesterday and last night at the moon pool, but they still couldn't get it out of their heads. What bothered them the most was that he might find out about them being mermaids and maybe even call the scientists or even worse, the government, to do tests on them.

If he did that, they'd be locked up for the rest of their lives and they'd never see their friends and families again. May was already plotting a perfect revenge in her head, even though nothing even happened. Melissa was worried more than even, while Destiny tried to breathe normally and think positive.

"Hey, how about we stop talking about it", Destiny suggested; her two girlfriends sitting in front of her both turned back to face her. "We can talk about the money we got. We have you done with it?"

"My parents left it in the bank", May said. "I asked them to do it. I'll spend it slowly on things I'll need in the future."

"Same with me. You should've seen the look on Misty's face when she found out I'm the owner of the money. It was priceless." Melissa burst into laughter.

Destiny smiled and nodded. "Mine is in the bank too. It'll probably be used for shopping or something in near future."

The three girls laughed. Their laughter slowly faded away as they noticed Chris staring at them with a curious expression; he looked as if he'd been observing them for a while and they did not like that.

Melissa and May turned back on the front and leaned in to each other.

"Your crush is watching us", May whispered to Melissa, who cleared her throat.

"No, he's not."

"Yes, he _is_."

"Well, if you knew Dyson was keeping something a secret from you, you'd be watching him as well."

"This is different. Dyson already knows about us. And I'm sure as hell he's not a mermaid."

"Whatever. We'll just keep our distance and he won't get close to our secret."

"He already _is_ close to our secret."

"Ugh... Just... Whatever, we'll simply avoid him."

As the two girls slightly quieted down, they noticed the classroom door slowly opening. The whole class immediately silenced; everyone was nervous about meeting the new chemistry and biology teacher.

As the door opened, a female figure elegantly walked into the classroom, gently closing the door afterwards. She had two black bags in her hands; both of those she left on her desk.

"Hello, class", she greeted; her voice sounded soft and as elegant as her walk.

She seemed like quite a lady. She was tall and thin. Her skin was fair tanned and seemed soft and gentle. Her face was small, oval-shaped, and her cheeks were as pink as fresh cherries. She had big, hazel eyes and heart-shaped red lips. Her hair was long and black as the feathers of a crow. She wasn't very pretty, nor she was ugly, but she did have a bit makeup on her face.

She was clad in black pants and white shirt. On her feet were high-heeled Mary Jane's. It was quite formal clothing, based on other female teachers' clothing, which are mostly miniskirts and short tops.

The woman seemed like in her forties, but she hid her age pretty successfully.

"Hello!" the whole class returned the greeting.

The woman smiled. "I'm Silvana Moretti", she spoke in an Italian accent," And I am your new chemistry teacher. As you probably already figured it out, I'm from Italy. But do not worry, I can speak English perfectly fine. I went to college in America. But, if I say something you dunnot understand, feel free to ask me to explain. Okay?"

"Okay", everyone replied.

Silvana smiled. "Okay, so... Let's get to know each other first."

She took her seat and took the directory. She called out everyone's name and talked about the called student to know something about him or her. She asked questions like do they like her subjects, which are their favorite subjects, what are they interested in and such.

The whole school hour almost had passed on introductions. Silvana glanced at her cell phone to check out what time it is. Finally she stood up again and faced the whole class.

"Now, class, I want you to tell me your suggestions. What you'd like to be doing during class. How you think would be better if I explained things and such." She smiled. "So who wants first?"

May was the first person to raise her hand.

Silvana's smile widened. "Yes, May."

"Maybe you could bring over some movies. Something like Discovery Channel or National Geographic. Those are interesting and maybe we could learn something more by watching them."

The whole class groaned in agreement.

Silvana nodded. "That's good. I have some of those DVD's at home. I'll make sure to bring them over. If anyone here has any of them, feel free to bring them over as well. Something else?"

A blonde boy raised his hand. "Maybe we could sometimes go on field trips. It's also interesting. There is lots of nature around here and it might be good to sometimes go out and study outside."

Silvana smiled. "Excellent! I like this suggestion as well! I'll make sure to check with the principal first about the field trip thing, but I'm sure she won't be against it. Anything else?"

Melissa raised her hand. "Can we sometimes do projects ourselves? You know, do homework as a group?"

"I like the idea", Silvana said. "Sure. Group work will also be included then."

She went over to her desk again and sat down. She took the paper and began writing down the class' ideas. As she wrote everything down, she looked at the class again.

"Anything else?"

No one spoke.

"Okay, then. I guess this is it. You may go home now. See you next week", Silvana spoke.

The class quickly packed their bags and said goodbye to the teacher as they left the classroom.

Melissa, Destiny and May found their way home, as they shot one last glance at the school building.

"I like the new teacher", Destiny said.

"Yeah, she's awesome", Melissa agreed.

May smiled. "I told you so."

**You see what happens when you complain about a bad teacher? You get the nicer one. What part does she have in the story? And what's Chris' next move?  
**

**Oh, and Heroes and Charmed fans probably noticed I used some of the names for classmates from those shows.  
**

**Next time: find out what happens when you cheat.**


	22. Planning

**I'm so sorry for not updating earlier. The school's been a moron and I've been busy and tired. Remember my Sailor Moon story I said I'll rewrite? Well, I decided to use those characters for my own, original novel. I've been working on it too. Hope you're not too angry **

**It was my 15****th**** birthday on Sunday, February sixth. I had lots of fun with my friend, but I did not celebrate.**

**Just wanted to say something. Make sure you read it: ****some of the things that'll happen in this chapter are AlyssaHolloway's ideas. I claim no ownership on them. I'm just grateful to Alyssa for helping me. Thank you, Alyssa!**

**Now on to the story...**

It has almost been a week since the new chemistry teacher has arrived. The things have been as usual for the girls: school, swimming, moon pool, sleeping and then all that over again. That school day was just as any other school day: boring and tiring. Everyone wanted to go home and relax, maybe get some sleep. Having school in the morning for the whole school year was something you'd never wish even to your worst enemy. And yet, the girls had the _luck_ to have school like that.

It was the seventh period. The period everyone - both students and teachers - hates with all their heart. It was the last period for both students and teachers. All of them were tired of endless torture of a terribly hot day and dealing with lessons was just worsening everything.

May groaned as she took the notebook in her hands and, pretending it was a fan, she waved it back and forth to create a small, cold breeze to cool herself down. She looked at her writing on the notebook. _Chemistry._ Why did it have to be chemistry? Of all the subjects possible, why did she have to have chemistry? She never liked it. Even now when the new teacher has arrived, she still feels nothing but hatred for that damned subject. It gave her nightmares in the middle school; high school wasn't any better either. She had that F she didn't even know how to correct. If she knew those tasks, she would've gotten at least a D. She tried studying it, but nothing gets into her head and stays there for at least five minutes.

May looked at Melissa, who sat next to her. Melissa read the text in her notebook, studying to correct that terrible test. May smiled as she watched her friend bugging herself with such a stupid subject. _What will I ever need chemistry for? I don't intent to get a job as a lab tech. Hell, if someone even suggests it, I'd run, like, a mile away from them. Chemistry is just a bitch and I don't like those. Kinda reminds me of Illene and Therese._

Thinking of Illene and Therese made her roll her eyes. Here she was, worrying about chemistry, while the two of them had the joy of sharing their classroom with Dyson. _Why did he have to go to the smart class?_ she wondered. But then another thought came to mind: how did Illene and Therese get there? Illene was a bit of a geek in the elementary and middle school, but Therese always had Cs and Ds in everything. _She must've cheated somehow. I wish I had cheated like that. I was just stupid!_ But maybe she was not. She giggled at the thought of Therese sitting there, in the smart class, wondering what everyone is talking about during class. _Serves her right. Bitch!_

"Hello, class", a familiar Italian accent shook her out of her thoughts. Like everyone else, she got up and returned the greeting to Silvana.

Silvana just took her seat, wrote something down in her notebook and glanced at the tired looks of the students that just couldn't wait for the day to end. Judging by the look on her face, she was tired as well; maybe even more tired. She had bags under her eyes, which indicated that she hadn't been sleeping. But still she managed to force a bright smile.

"I notice everyone is tired of school", she said.

The class nodded.

"So I have a little suggestion for you", she continued.

The class looked at her smiling face. Why was she so happy? Even though It was a fake smile, why did she force it and made it look so real? There wasn't anything happy about school; especially about chemistry, but still Silvana was able to fake a smile.

"We have chemistry tomorrow, right?"

Everyone said yes.

"How about you do an essay or some kind of project about any lesson from the book you'd like? Yes, I know you have only a day to do it, but it doesn't have to be anything special or anything extra long. Just make sure it's thorough and nicely written, and I'm fine with it. Okay?"

"YES!" everyone yelled.

"I'll be giving two grades, but don't worry – I'm not too strict when grading. Oh, and with that project or essay you can correct those terrible grades you've gotten a few days ago."

Silvana's smile widened – this time it was real. The whole class yelled and cried in joy. It made her happy, really happy. She loved working with children and seeing them happy was something she'd always work for. "You can go home now, but if someone asks, we had this period. Okay?"

"YEAH!"

Everyone quickly packed and rushed out of the classroom, except for one boy that sat alone in the corner. Chris packed his things slowly, checking his books to make sure he brought everything. He watched as May, Melissa and Destiny left the classroom and narrowed his eyes in anger. _I'll find out what you're hiding. Don't worry, you won't hide it from me. No one will._ Seeing as he packed everything, he said by to the teacher and went out to the freedom.

H-2-O

"So what are we gonna do?" asked Melissa. She, May, Dyson and Destiny slowly walked toward their homes.

"About what?" asked May.

"About those essays", answered Melissa. "I wanted to correct that grade today, but I think it's easier to just write an essay. If I only knew about what."

"Mrs. Moretti allowed you to correct your grades by writing an essay?" Dyson questioned, confused.

"Yup", May said.

"How about we do a project instead?" suggested Destiny. Her three friends glared at her. "She did say we can do either a project or an essay."

"And how would we do that?" May asked.

Destiny smiled. "With our powers, of course."

"No-" Dyson began, but was interrupted by May.

"I knew there was a reason I loved you!"

"Yeah!" Melissa agreed.

"Guys, let's think about this", Dyson said, "It's one thing to use your powers to make fun of others while they don't know it's you, but it's a completely different thing to use your powers in front of _everyone_, where _everyone_ can see you."

"Relax, Dyson. It's chemistry", said May. "We'll just say we mixed some chemicals and got the wanted effect."

"Yeah, no biggie", Melissa smiled.

"Okay, guys, let's shut up. We've got company", Destiny warned. The small group noticed Chris running towards them.

"Hi", he sent them a warm smile and then turned to Melissa. "Can you and I have a little chat?"

She narrowed her eyes, worried; but inside, her heart pounded fast and loud. _I think I'll get a heart attack._ "What about?"

"About… " he looked up to the sky to think something up. "Math homework. Task seven is a nightmare."

"But I barely have a D in math", Melissa admitted.

"Yeah, but I'm sure you could help. I didn't pay attention to class that day."

May laughed nervously. "Well, Dyson here can help you. Let's go, Mel." She took Melissa's hand.

Chris took her hand as well. "No, I need Melissa. Please", he begged; his voice radiating with gentleness and kindness.

Feeling his soft skin touching her, she playfully giggled. Her heart's pounding fastened and she got that tingling feeling in her arms and legs – the same tingling she gets when her legs are about to form a mermaid tail. _Yup, definitely a heart attack._ "Sure. Why don't we get onto it right away?"

"Let's go to the café then."

"What are we waiting for?" Melissa's smile widened; Chris' as well. She was about to head to the café's direction, when May pulled her back.

"Hold it", she said and hissed: "We need to talk."

Rolling her eyes, Melissa stood next to her. She, May, Dyson and Destiny formed a circle and talked in a quiet tone.

"Are you out of your mind?" May growled. 

"Yeah!" Destiny agreed. "And be happy we have to whisper, otherwise May would lead this conversation with desperate yells."

"Yeah", May said. 

"Don't worry, guys", Melissa reassured them. "I won't do anything stupid."

May nodded sarcastically. "That's what I once said when I borrowed my grandma's favorite book about hippies. Somehow I managed to pour water all over it and rip some pages while I tried to dry them with a towel. Luckily they had a dog and I blamed it for it."

Everyone stared at her. She rolled her eyes.

"What? Like all of you are saints or something."

"Just be careful", Destiny said, ignoring May's comment.

"Are you sure about this?" Dyson questioned.

Melissa nodded. "Positive. I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself. And later when I finish this, we can work on our project, okay?" She turned back to Chris and smiled. "Let's go."

H-2-O

Chris and Melissa entered the cool room; he locked the door behind them, making her feel uneasy. _What is he doing that for?_ She asked herself. _Does he think I'm gonna escape or something? Maybe he knows I'm a mermaid._ Her eyes widened, but then she breathed out with relief. _Of course he doesn't. If he does, he wouldn't have locked himself in with me._

"Are you okay?" he asked in a concerned voice.

She nodded "Yeah. So what are we doing… Here? Isn't this the place where you keep your fruit to keep it fresh? It doesn't really look like a place to have math lectures at."

He laughed. "Actually, the thing about math lectures was a lie. I don't need help." His face got serious.

"You don't?"

"No. I need to talk to you about something else."

_Oh, my God. He knows. He knows about me. About us. He knows!_ "And what would that be?"

"I was thinking and… This will probably sound weird, but… If was wondering if you would like to… Go out with me?"

_What the hell?_ "You want me to go out with you?" She breathed out and relaxed. _He only wanted to go out with me. He only wanted to go out with me. Wait, what? He wanted to go out with me? YOOO-HOOO! Oh, yeah, ah hah, oh, yeah, oh yeah! Oh, yeah-_

He interrupted her thoughts. "It's okay if you don't want to. It's just… I kind of like you. You're a nice and cute girl. Kind-hearted. I simply thought that having you for myself would feel great, because… You don't know me, but if you accept my call, you might get to know me. The real me. And you might like me too."

Melissa smiled. It was the best thing someone had ever told her; not only the best, but also the kindest, sweetest thing ever. She just couldn't refuse. "Of course I'll go out with you."

"You will?"

"Yeah! You know, I've been dying for this moment."

In the heat of a moment, he took her hand and pulled her close; their eyes met and their lips touched. They both closed their eyes and let their feelings carry them. She felt his heartbeat, and he felt hers. _All my dreams have now officially came true,_ she thought, enjoying the moment of joy.

_She's beautiful,_ Chris thought for himself. _And a damn good kisser. I never knew she was so amazing. In lots of things. _He giggled inside.

Hearing someone's footsteps approaching, they pulled away from each other. Someone knocked on the door of the cool room.

"Is anyone in here?" a male voice asked.

"Yup, dad, it's me", Chris said. Melissa and I are studying math."

"Okay", Mr. Jenkins said. "Just make sure not to catch a cold."

"Alright, dad", Chris answered. His father had left in a second. He turned to Melissa, who had a happy look on her face.

"This was… This was awesome!" she shrieked.

He nodded in joy. "Yeah. Real awesome. So wanna go on a date with me tomorrow night? It's Friday."

"Sure." She turned to leave.

"See you then."

"Yup, see you then." And with that, she allowed him to unlock the door and left the room.

He watched after her; a big grin on his face widening and his eyes shining. _That's it, Melissa. You're finally mine. I just need to get a bit closer to you. After that it'll be easy to get the information out of you. I'm sorry for using you like that, but I must know the truth. I must know what you're hiding from me. And after I find out, we can be happy forever and together. No one will break us apart._

**The Chris & Melissa thing was AlyssaHolloway's idea.**

**Next time find out what'll happen with Chris and Melissa. What's Chris going to do? What's Melissa going to do? How does that involve people around them? What about the project?**

**I need some criticism about how to improve my writing. You know, the grammar and everything. If there is something that needs to be fixed, please say, but don't be rude please.**

**I decided to shorten the story up a bit so it'll not be too long. Just a few more chapters before season 2.**


	23. The Project

**Thank you all very much for the reviews! I waited for a long time to write this chapter. So here we go.**

**Before reading this chapter, I'd like to say that the idea for this chapter belongs to lovely AlyssaHolloway. I asked her for help and she gave me lots of great ideas so the credit for most of things that happen in this episode go to her.**

"So you still won't tell us what happened between you and Chris yesterday?"

After working for almost all night to make their school project all the more perfect and sleeping over at May's, the girls slowly walked towards school; big bags under their eyes clearly showing. May and Destiny were tired, yawning all the way to school. Melissa, on the other hand, seemed to have some powerful batteries in her brain - even at that early morning hour, after almost sleepless night, she still managed to cheerfully run around her friends and laugh at funny people that passed by them. Even Dyson, who met up the half the way to school, couldn't believe how much energy Melissa possessed that morning.

Walking backwards in front of her two friends, she pulled a big grin on her face. "I'm not telling", she said in a childish tone.

May rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. Like it's some kind of a big deal."

"If it wasn't, you wouldn't have asked me", Melissa counterattacked.

"Melissa", Destiny said with a kind, friendly voice, "He's close to our secret. We don't want him to find out about us. All we want is to know how things are, so we can deal with them in a right way."

"Destiny's right, Melissa. We need to know about things in order to do things right in case something happens", Dyson agreed.

"But there are no _things_." Melissa breathed out. "He just… Kissed me."

"HE WHAT?" May let out a loud shriek and stopped walking. All the people out at the street glared at them; some opened their window to see what's going on.

"Kissed me", Melissa repeated and stopped walking as well; Dyson and Destiny doing the same. Melissa smiled. "And asked me out."

May's eyes went wide. She opened her mouth to yell something again, but Dyson put a hand over it. "Calm down, sweetie. No need to be upset."

She slapped his hand and pushed him away. "NO NEED TO BE UPSET? SHE'S RISKING OUR SACRED SECRET SO SHE CAN GO OUT WITH A GUY SHE KNOWS ALMOST NOTHING ABOUT!" People were still staring. Destiny sent her a glared to signal her to quiet down. "You're right. Why should I be upset? If he finds out, I might end up dissected. Nothing serious."

"Oh, come on, May." Melissa rolled her eyes at her friend. "Dyson knows about us and he hasn't told anyone. I hope."

"Of course I didn't", he defended himself.

"You're completely missing the point", Destiny pointed out. "Chris wants to know about the big _fish_ he saw that night and nothing is gonna stop him to accomplish that. He might even be using you to get to our secret."

"You're lying. He's not like that!" Melissa yelled and faced her friends. "I don't need you to tell me who I can and can't be seeing. Not even my parents tell me that. You're no friends of mine." And with that she ran to school all alone, leaving the confused threesome behind.

"Someone's got to stop her from going on that date", May said.

"Yeah. We already are in too much trouble", Destiny agreed and turned to Dyson. "You think you can talk to her?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Hmph. I don't know. What would I tell her? You know her better than me, so you should talk to her."

"I don't think she'll want to talk to us for a while", May sighed, defeated. "Not after this."

H-2-O

Entering the schoolyard, Melissa wiped away the tears that ran down her cheeks and eyed her surroundings to find the only person that would understand her at the moment – Chris. She never thought the girls would do that to her; that they would betray her like that, stab her on the back with a knife. She always trusted them and shared their happiness and sorrow; now that they have their secret even more. And what do they do when she herself finally finds luck? They call her a traitor and believe that she will expose them. They think that she – a nice, kind and friendly girl, who is also a mermaid – would expose her own secret. How stupid can they be? After all these years of friendship they should know she would never do that. The only thing she asked for was to be happy with someone for once in her life. Did she ask too much? _I don't think so. I have every right to be happy. And I will be! No one can stop me from being happy. Not even them._

Seeing Chris leaned against one of the trees, she rose her hand up and waved at him to notice her. He smiled and signaled with his hands for her to approach him. Putting a smile on her face, she ran to him and like a small child that just got their candy by their parents, she wrapped her hands around him and pulled him into a kiss. She kept giggling and squeezed his hand as if she tried to let all the girls at school know he belongs to her now.

"What's with that?" he asked, surprised at a sudden burst of joy.

"Nothing", she smiled. "Just me being happy to go out with you tonight."

"So you haven't forgotten?"

She frowned. "No way! How could I?"

He smiled back at her and they kissed once again.

Kissing him, Melissa remembered how May and Dyson kiss all the time. Wait, May… and Destiny. She had a fight with them and ran off. _They don't want me to be happy_, she said to herself. _They deserve to be without me. I want no friends like that. _But deep inside she knew it wasn't true. She missed them already; she needed them to just be with her. They made her feel safe whenever she was scared and she… She told them off.

H-2-O

The whole school day passed pretty slowly. First two periods the girls had Geography, which meant listening to the whole class yelling and jumping around the classroom like a bunch of jungle animals because the teacher had no authority. Then came History and two periods of English; neither more _fun_ than Geography. The sixth – and last – period was the well-waited Chemistry.

As usual, Silvana entered the classroom, greeted the students and wrote down those who were missing. There was only one weird thing about her that day – she brought in six big water bottles with her and put all of them on top of one of the free desks in the front row. She explained that she needed those for an experiment she would be doing with the class she had the next period.

She got up and stood in front of the whole class; her big and bright smile decorating her face, and her eyes shining on the afternoon sun that lightened up the classroom through three big windows.

"Okay, students. Did you do what you were asked to?" the teacher asked.

The class let out yells of "Yes'".

Silvana's grin widened. "Okay, then. You can turn over what you have, and if you have a project, please share with the class."

Everyone brought papers and carefully put them on her desk; well, almost everyone. May, Melissa and Destiny were sitting at their appropriate places and eyeing each other. May and Destiny wondered if Melissa would work with them after what happened earlier that day. Melissa, on the other hand, wondered if she should apologize.

"Okay, guys. I know we had an argument, but please, let's just do this", Destiny said.

Melissa eyed her.

"Fine", May said and began raising her hand, but Melissa stopped her.

"Wait. I just wanna say that… I want to apologize for running off like that. I mean, I know Chris is a danger to us, but I know and I promise I'll be careful. I just want to say that I'd like to be friends with you and that as friends, you should let me be happy."

Destiny nodded. "I agree."

May took Destiny's hand. "I agree as well." She took Melissa's hand next. "I'm sorry I yelled."

"It's okay. I know how it feels to be afraid of endangering something important." Melissa squeezed her hand.

"I'm sorry too", Destiny spoke.

The three friends took their hands.

"Should we do it?" asked May.

Destiny nodded. "Let's do it."

Three girls got up and walked to their teacher.

"Mrs. Moretti, we have a project we'd like to share", Melissa said.

Silvana shot them a bright smile. "You do? That's beautiful. I'd like to see."

The threesome smiled.

"We just need a glass for water. A big one", Destiny said. "Would you mind getting us one?"

Silvana shook her head. "No, not at all." She quickly went to the school kitchen to get a big glass and returned in less than a minute. "Here."

Melissa took the glass and out it on her and May's desk, while May took a small bottle of water out of her schoolbag. She filled the glass with water and return the bottle back to her bag.

"Here we have a glass of water mixed with some chemicals", May explained. The chemicals thing was obviously a lie, but what did the teacher, who knew nothing about mermaids or magic, know about their ways of doing the project?

"Class, I'm asking you to listen and watch this. It's very important. These girls really worked hard on their project", Silvana calmed down the class. Everyone closed their mouth and glanced at the three girls; especially Chris, who seemed to be in trance, barely waiting for the girls to show what they did.

"Thank you", whispered Melissa to Silvana, who just nodded and smiled.

"So to put it short, we managed to mix some chemicals and make this water defy gravity, freeze, and then turn into steam."

Silvana glanced at them; obviously surprised. "That… That is not… Are you girls sure?"

The three friends smiled. "100%", May said and looked at Silvana. "Please, take a step back."

The teacher did as she was told; May, Melissa and Destiny doing the same.

Secretly, without anyone noticing, May put her hand down and slowly twisted it from one side to another. Just as expected, the water slightly rose up, until it finally left the glass empty and took the shape of a ball once in mid-air.

The whole class gasped in awe.

Silvana approached the flying ball of water and observed it as it floated.

"No worries, teach. You can touch it, it's not poisonous", May assured.

Silvana slowly brought her hand to the water ball and touched it with her finger; as soon as her finger touched its watery surface, she pulled her hand back down. "Amazing…" she whispered to herself.

Like May, Melissa put her hand down and straightened her palm; the small ball of water turned into a ball of ice.

"Wow!" the class yelled.

Silvana gulped. "Wha-how?"

"But there's more", Destiny said. Clenching her fist, the ball of ice instantly heated up and for a moment returned to its water state, before turning into hot steam.

She, May and Melissa took each other's hands, happy that their project had succeeded. Silvana's eyes were wide opened. How was it possible? She's never, ever, seen anything like it. How did those three teenage girls manage to do something like this? They must've worked hard on it, but the question was still – how?

"I… I don't know what to say", Silvana took a deep breath. "This was… This was brilliant. How did you girls do it?"

The threesome gulped.

"We kinda don't know", May spoke.

"What?" Silvana turned to them.

"We don't know", Melissa explained. "We just borrowed some chemicals from our friend and mixed them together and… Got this. And then, when we wanted to see what we used, May's mom already threw away the bottles the chemicals were in."

"B-but… This is an amazing discovery." She turned to May. "Do you have any more of that water left in that bottle of yours? I'd like to take it home. My husband is a marine biologist, he could do some tests and maybe find out what you put into it."

"Ugh, sure." May took the bottle which contained a small amount of water out of her schoolbag and handed it to the teacher. "Be my guest."

"Thank you", Silvana said; amazement still present in her voice.

"So, teach, did you like it?" Melissa smiled.

Silvana nodded. "I loved it! You get an A and a D."

Destiny, Melissa and May shot her a surprised glare. "A and a D? Why a D?" Destiny asked.

"Well you have no idea how you got the result. When you do a project, you have to write down exactly how you do it", Silvana explained. "But I won't give you an F because you tried hard, and that A is here because I loved it."

"Okay, then", Melissa shrugged. "If you say so."

"Yeah", Silvana simply replied and returned to her desk, while May, Melissa and Destiny took their respective seats. She carefully put the water bottle into her bag and wrote down the girls' grades – she'll grade other students after she reads their essays.

May narrowed her eyes and observed the teacher. _A D? Why a D? We did everything okay! How dare she give us a D? No one here did anything like this. We deserve a higher grade! And what? We get a D for not explaining some stupid magic trick. What were we supposed to do? Write down: ''and then we used our powers, which resulted in this''?. Yeah, right. Like it's gonna happen._ She sighed. Even though she thought bad about the teacher at the moment, she could still understand why they got such a low grade.

May looked around the classroom; half the class had their eyes on the teacher, while the other half chatted about their experiment. _We're already almost exposed. We shouldn't have done this, but if we didn't, we'd fail Chemistry. Well, at least Melissa and I would. We just had to do something awesome and to accomplish that, some risks had to be done._ Noticing the six big water bottles resting in the empty front row – right next to Silvana's desk – she smirked. _No! Don't you dare to do that! You're already in some deep shit. You can't do that!_ But the voice of her wild, teenage hormones won over her voice of reason and she found herself twisting her hand again under her desk, activating her power.

Silvana stopped writing down and once again stood in front of the class. She was about to say something, but at that exact same moment the water in all six bottles jumped up, pushing their plugs up in the air with its force, and landed on Silvana. The poor teacher gasped in horror, eyeing her wet body and her soaked clothes that glued to her skin. She took a few breaths, while the class - including the one responsible for it – May - Melissa and Destiny - burst into uncontrollable laughter.

The only one that was lest emotionless was Chris; he eyed the three girls and observed their laughing faces. Everyone was astonished by their project and now everyone was laughing at the incident with the teacher and the bottles. But was it really an incident or did they have something to do with it? Did they somehow make the water in those bottles explode like that? Chris' eyes suspiciously narrowed at the three girls. _May… Destiny… Melissa… What the hell are you hiding?_

**This is what happens when you cheat (answer to the question from two chapters ago when I said you'll find that out.)**

**Here we have the girls being stupid again. Chris suspects and is really close. What will happen next? And trust me, they are doing because they are reckless teenagers (teens in real life would do something like this, trust me), but you know that karma is a bitch, right? I can just say that the future brings many things (both good and bad) things for the girls. :)**

**Please review. Thank you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.**


	24. The Date

**I apologize for the waiting. I just had no inspiration to write and now I'm finally getting it back so I decided to use it and write some more.**

**Emily P – I'm very thankful for the critique. I'll definitely be more careful. If there are more things you see are wrong, feel free to correct me.**

**CheddarFetta – thanks. I hope you'll like this chapter.**

**AlyssaHolloway – yup, they are.**

**H2O4ever – thanks very much. **

**H2o25 – thank you. I know what you mean, I'm the same. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.**

**Chris & Melissa idea is owned by AlyssaHolloway. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

_Legs shaved? Check._

_Hair combed? Check._

_Makeup applied? Check._

Melissa smiled as she watched her reflection in the mirror. Her short white dress went perfectly with her new flat sandals with fake crystal accessories. The dress had no suspenders and it was tight – Melissa's skinny figure stood out beautifully. Her hair was curled up and her eyes seemed big due to mascara. _I haven't noticed before that I've got some tan_, she said to herself and smiled. Finally it was her body's turn to get some color.

She heard the bell ring and her sister went to answer it. Melissa immediately left the bathroom and went over to the door. There stood Chris dressed in ripped dark blue jeans and a black T-shirt. Smiling, Melissa greeted him and he returned the greeting. Misty immediately left the couple alone – what they were doing, their talks and such, made her want to vomit.

"So are we going?" he asked.

Melissa nodded and then yelled: "Mom! Dad! I'm going!"

"Be home by eleven", her dad yelled back.

"You got it!"

Holding hands, Chris and Melissa left the Tanner residence and slowly walked towards Tropicus. Once there, they took a seat outside and watched as the almost full moon lighted up the see. The waitress – a young red-haired girl – walked up to them and smiled, asking to take their order. Ordering their drinks Melissa glanced up at the sky and giggled. _This night is gonna be so beautiful. I'm sure nothing will go wrong. It can't!_

H-2-O

Silvana Moretti walked around the lab nervously. Her heels echoed as she waited for her husband's results to be finished. She approached the door and took a look out; the sea sparkling under the moonlight, a bunch of other boats surrounding the boat she herself was in, lots of people – mostly tourists – walking around. And quite frankly it made her sick.

The moonlight is considered to be romantic – Silvana hated it. She preferred the day over night. In her opinion there's nothing more beautiful than the sun's golden light. And all those tourists outside; they were just the people that wouldn't mind their own business and looked around what other people were doing. 'To better understand other cultures' was their excuse for doing so. Silvana thought they were just nosy.

"Is it over yet?" she asked, impatient to get the results and see what in that water those girls have brought made it fly, freeze and steam.

"For the hundredth time: NO!" her husband – a tall, tanned man with an oval shaped face and dark hair – replied. His dark eyes made him seem strange and different; maybe even dangerous. His voice was deep and most people would find it frightening, but not Silvana. She simply rolled her eyes at his statement and cursed under her breath, angry at the man's slowness.

"How hard can it be to get the damned results done?" she yelled and slammed her fist against the wall.

"Tell that to the machine!" Arturo Moretti replied in a higher tone.

"_Santa Madre di Gesù! Dio mio_!" Silvana grumbled and sighed. "Why did I marry him? He's completely incompetent."

"I heard that!" Arturo snapped.

H-2-O

"So what do you like to do in your free time?"

Enjoying the pleasant night, Melissa and Chris decided that it's about time they get to know each other better. So they agreed that one asks another any question about them and they have to answer it. And they can't lie – at least they are not allowed to.

"I like to write", Melissa replied and smiled. "You?"

"I like to collect things. Rare things. And I like to explore. Adventure's, like, my other name", he said, excited.

This was a good talk, he figured, as this way he might make her tell him something about the weird things that happen lately. He wasn't on this date to have fun, just to get the information he needed out of Melissa. Dates and pretty girls – like Melissa – come later. Business is first.

Still, he couldn't help, but notice how pretty Melissa looked that night. She really put much thought into this date and wanted it to be perfect. Deep inside Chris felt sorry for her – he hated using people like that, but if that meant getting what he wanted then feeling sorry was out of question. It's not that he didn't like Melissa – he did – but she was so much more useful to him as his toy than his girlfriend and he had to put his feelings aside I order to reach his goal.

Melissa giggled the whole time. Honestly she was getting tired of this game. When she agreed to go out with him, she thought they'll do fun things like telling jokes and kissing. But no, her wanted to play this stupid game of getting to know each other. _I know enough about him already. I just want him to kiss me. Or I could just…_

Without a second thought she pulled him closer and kissed him. As their lips met, for the first time Melissa noticed his lips tasted so sweet. She's never kissed a guy whose lips were that sweet. And the kissing – she had to admit he did the job wonderfully, like a professional.

_Well, that went well_, she concluded.

Chris smiled at her and nodded in approval. Everything in his head was messed up. His thoughts and feelings changed and shifted in a matter of seconds; for a moment he's happy, then all of a sudden he's sad, angry, cheerful… It reminded him of a battlefield. _Great, she's bored? Now what do I do? I have to get it out of her somehow._

"What else do you like to do?" he asked. He couldn't think of anything else to ask and this was his first choice. Of course, he could go straight and ask her about the tail he saw, but what would that do? He'd just scare her away.

Melissa frowned at his question. "Watch TV… I guess…" she spoke. _What's going on? What is he getting at? _She faked a smile.

"What else?" he asked, this time a mix of bitterness and anger present in his voice. _Come on, Melissa!_

"What's going on, Chris?" This time it was Melissa's turn to ask questions. She no longer wore a smile; her face radiated with seriousness and her voice seemed cold. "What do you want?"

Chris gulped. _Damn, I'm busted!_ he thought to himself as he smiled nervously. He wasn't careful enough and now Melissa's suspecting something. He knew there's no getting out of this – now that she suspects, he'll have to do his best to convince her of something else, or at least to somehow change the subject.

"I just want to get to know you better", he lied; his voice shaking nervously. But he should've known better than to try to fool her.

"Liar!" she darted him with a look full of doubt. Many thoughts occurred to her – some of them told her he's just playing her, some that he's just nervous, some a little bit of both. But – she concluded – one this is for sure: he's hiding something and he's doing real bad at it.

"Tell me the truth."

He chuckled, but then his face straightened and his expression turned full serious. "As I said, I want to get to know you better. I want to know more about you. Like, some secrets you're hiding."

"What secrets?"

"You know damn well what secrets. About that tail, about what happened, about just _everything _that's going on right in front of my nose, but you refuse to tell me what it is. About that little '_project'_ of yours."

Melissa gulped.

"Yeah, you know, the one for chemistry. But was it really a project or was it something else? Something much, much bigger than we all can imagine. Tell me, Melissa, what is the truth? Just what are you and what is it about you that makes me think you're hiding something?"

"I don't don what you're talking about."

H-2-O

"Here, it's done", spoke Arturo, while handing Silvana the test results on the water.

"_Grazie a Dio_", Silvana mumbled, irritated at her husband's slow way of doing things. She took the result in her hands and slowly examined it. Frowning, she turned to Arturo and shot him with a look of suspicion. "Have you done everything right?"

"Yeah", he replied.

"Are you sure?"

Arturo rolled his eyes at his wife's constant doubts about his working abilities. "I'm doing these kinds of things every damned day. It's my job, that's what I do."

"But this can't be", Silvana said, more to herself than to him.

"What?" he approached her and took a look with her.

"It says this is… Just normal water." She took a deep breath. "Just normal H2O."

"I guess this didn't turn out the way you expected it to?"

Silvana smacked him in the head. "No, you idiot!" She read the test results all over again. "This is not possible. It cannot be possible. I saw what this water did. It flew, then it turned into ice and then it heated up and steamed."

"Are you sure it wasn't just a magic trick?" Arturo asked, rubbing the spot on his head she had hit him at.

"Yes!" Silvana yelled. "I'm sure. What could've caused a reaction like that?"

"It's nothing I've ever seen", Arturo admitted. His wife glared at him and he covered his head in case she went mad at him again. This caused a small – almost invisible – smile creep out on her lips.

Silvana left the lab and went out onto the deck; the test paper still in her hands. She glared at the moon as thoughts overwhelmed her and filled her with doubt and curiosity. "Just what exactly have those girls gotten themselves into?"

H-2-O

"I think you do know, Melissa", Chris spoke. He muttered something in Japanese to himself, after which he fired a deathly glare at Melissa. "I want to be your friend. Your boyfriend. A person you can trust. That trust has to be mutual. So why don't you trust me?"

"I think I'm starting to get it", Melissa said to herself.

Chris looked up at her.

"You asked me out on a date so you can get the information about the _fish_ out of me."

"It's not like that. I care about you. I really do." He swallowed. "But I' not sure the feeling is mutual. Please, just trust me on this one. Just tell me what you know about me. I won't tell anyone, I swear. It'll be just between the two of us."

"You lying son of a bitch! Why don't you just admit you've been using me?" 

"I just want to know what saved me. I _need_ to know."

"You don't need to know anything!" Melissa got up and ran into the direction of her home. " How dare you? You disgust me. Lunatic!"

With his eyes wide open Chris looked after her. "Melissa! Melissa!" he yelled, but to no avail. She left him; insulted him. She didn't even want to hear him out. She was just into protecting whatever information she has on that thing.

At first, Chris was sad that she left. He felt like crying and sincerely he didn't know what kept him from doing so. But then an idea popped into his head. Why hadn't he thought of that before? It would've solved many of his problems. He could still have Melissa and _maybe_ even her secret as well. Smiling he left the money on the table and headed home. His idea would go into realization first thing tomorrow.

H-2-O

Melissa sniffled as she wiped her teary eyes. Her face turned red due to tears falling down her cheeks and she swallowed hard. How could Chris do this to her? He used her, for hell's sakes! He pretended to like her just to get her to tell him about the tail he saw –her tail. He did say he liked her, but she wasn't sure she could trust him. _He's a liar_, she concluded and gulped. _A dirty, fat, disgusting liar! A user, maybe even an abuser!_

"I should've listened to the girls", she said to herself. "They were right all along. He couldn't be trustworthy. I can't believe I wanted to find my happiness with him. He ruined me! I want… I want him to die!"

She didn't mean to say the last one, but as rage overwhelmed her, she couldn't control her words and thoughts anymore. She balled her fist and ran towards the first place she could find near the ocean.

"Damn it!" was the last thing she said that night as she jumped into the ocean and united with it.

_If only I knew that he had always been a hypocrite. Maybe none of this would've happened._

**I don't speak Italian, I used Google translation. The translation is as follows:**

Santa Madre di Gesù! Dio mio! – Holy Mother of Jesus! My God!

**Grazie a Dio** – thank god

**If it's wrong, correct me. We're near the end. Please review! Don't flame.**


	25. Exposed

**First I want to say that I edited some things in earlier chapters. Nothing much, I just removed the girls having gills and instead made it like it's in H2O: Just Add Water. I felt that it's better if the mermaids are identical to the show. Oh, and they wear tops like in the show too, no weird scales and such anymore. Sorry if you're confused.**

**I've been doing lots of things lately. One of them is writing my own novel. I've already written 179 pages of it! So that's what's been keeping me busy. That, and school as well. Please, forgive me… Now on to the story.**

"I should've listened to you. You were right all along", Melissa cried. She was curled up in her room, laying in May's lap. May's arms were wrapped around her in a protective way, wiping away her tears and gently tapping her back. Destiny was sitting by her two friends, her eyes focused on Melissa's; she had never seen so much sadness in anyone's eyes in her whole life. Only one thing flew around her mind at the moment: revenge.

"Shhh, it's okay, it's okay. We'll take care of it", whispered May in Melissa's ear as she kissed her cheek. She looked up at Destiny and frowned. "Right, Des?"

Destiny nodded in approval. "Yeah. We'll kick his ass. He's gonna regret taking advantage of my friend."

"We'll teach him a hell of a lesson", added May.

Melissa smiled. "You guys… thanks." She kissed May and Destiny's cheek. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd probably kill yourself", said Destiny, her face serious and cold.

"Destiny!" warned May.

Destiny licked her lips. "What?"

-H2O-

Chris sighed as he walked around the marina, looking for one specific boat he had in mind to visit. There were so many beautiful boats, so many people and owners that he found it hard to focus his eyes on the one he's looking for. Last night, after returning home when Melissa left him, he did a research online and found everything he needed. The problem now was to find the person that would make his needs and desires true.

Seeing a black-haired lady just a few meters away, he ran towards her with a big smile across his face. _This is going to be a great day,_ he thought as he approached the lady and greeted her with a grin. "Hi, Mrs. Moretti."

Silvana smiled as she noticed her student. "Oh, hi, Chris. How have you been doing lately?"

"Oh, great. I need to talk to you."

Silvana frowned. "Okay… talk."

Chris pointed to her boat. "In private." He looked around as his teacher led him into her boat. It was beautiful, with lots of pretty pictures and statues around. Chris assumed it was Silvana's own design.

Silvana brought both herself and Chris a glass of orange juice and sat down around the table, looking at her young student. "So, what do you wanna talk about?"

Chris took a paper out of his pocked and handed it to her. Silvana carefully unfolded it and observed the wonderfully drawn picture. "It's a… great drawing. What do I do with it?" she asked, confused.

"I need your help. You see that tail I drew?" he asked. Silvana nodded. "I want to find out what it is. I've been doing research for days and I can't find anything like it."

"Interesting. As a matter of fact, it does look quite strange", admitted the raven-haired teacher. "Do you know anything about it? At all?"

Chris shook his head. "No, but I know some people who that I'm 100% sure they know."

"And who would that be?"

"May, Melissa and Destiny", Chris said. "Oh, and Dyson. You know them, they're your students. At least I think Dyson is too."

Silvana's eyes widened as she smirked. Why wasn't it surprising her that those three girls were involved? They already had so much to explain. What was the matter with them?

"I see", she muttered and looked at Chris. He seemed mature enough for her to talk about serious things. He seem to understand a lot. She didn't need to keep secrets from him. In fact, he could be her partner. Together, they could do a lot. They seem to have a common goal – discovering what those girls are hiding. "Chris, what do you say about us making a deal?"

"A deal? What kind of a deal?"

"We could, you know, work together and find out what those three, pardon, _four,_ are hiding."

Chris smirked. "I like the sound of that." He shook his teacher's hand. "Deal."

-H2O-

"You remember that project yesterday? They must've done something to the water. But look at this." Silvana handed the test results to Chris. "My husband did these tests and they all confirm that it's just water. No chemicals, no nothing."

Chris carefully observed the papers in his hands. He didn't understand most of it, but even he could read that what Silvana said was true. Just normal, ordinary water. It can't possibly do what it did yesterday on its own. Or can it? What did they do to it to make it do it?

"What do you think?" Silvana asked, smiling at Chris' surprised face.

Chris looked up at her, his eyes burning with passion. "I think we need to pay them a visit."

-H2O-

May, Melissa, Destiny and Dyson sat at the table in Tropicus, enjoying the beautiful Sunday afternoon as they talked about recent events. Dyson's eyes were wide in shock as he listened Melissa's story about her date, while his thoughts were filled with hatred and despise. How could Chris behave in such a way? Talk about getting the wrong first impressions.

Destiny suggested that they should stay away from Tropicus from now on, saying that she refused to give her money to someone that brought sorrow and pain to her friend. Dylan instantly agreed to it, but May and Melissa thought of it being a bad idea. May kept claiming that they have the best juices and shakes in town, while Melissa agreed to her every word.

"We have no other place to hang out at", she pointed out.

"Moon pool, anyone?" Destiny asked.

May frowned. "But that's boring. Here you have cool drinks and stuff. Moon pool… it's full of salty water and rocks."

"And I don't want to stop hanging out here just because Chris and I had a fight. I don't want him to think he managed to break me", Melissa said.

Destiny shrugged. "I guess she's got a point."

"So, wanna come to Ooha'oma tomorrow? Maybe we could have a picnic", suggested May. "The girls and I talked about it and we think it's a good idea."

"Sounds great", Dyson smiled.

The group kept talking about the fabulous picnic they will have tomorrow afternoon, joking and laughing at Dyson's dirty jokes and suggestions. May's face was red with shame as she stared at her boyfriend, who couldn't go a minute without saying another dirty joke. Melissa thought of those jokes as of something incredibly funny, while Destiny stared at her feet, nervously licking her lips, as her face became redder and redder that her head soon started to look like a big, swollen tomato.

Unbeknownst to the laughing four, a raven-haired woman stood at the door of the café, listening to their every word as if it holds a secret unknown to the human kind. All those things they said had a deep meaning to her; she's discovered lots of juicy details about them: first, Dyson was the most perverted boy she had ever known, and second, the group's secrets lay on that island, Ooha'oma. Silvana sighed. There was no turning back now; she had to confront them once and for all. No teenager has ever played Silvana Moretti and got away with it.

Taking a deep breath, Silvana headed towards the group's table. Noticing her, the four instantly quieted, their faces radiating with curiosity and confusion.

"So, how's it going, girls?" Silvana asked, a fake smile on her face. "And boys", she quickly added, turning to Dyson.

"Great, thanks", replied Melissa. "How about you?"

"Oh, I'm doing fine. Thanks for asking, sweetie. So, any new projects you've been working on?"

"No, not really", said May, frowning.

"I hope you understand why I had to give you that D, girls", Silvana said, "and I wish we could stay in friendly relationship, even though you got a bad grade."

"Yeeeaaah", spoke Destiny with a dose of sarcasm in her voice. She nodded her head, biting her lower lip. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Oh course I would! I knew you'd understand!" Silvana said in a friendly voice. "You know that you can always tell me if something is bothering you. No matter if it's school or family issues, you can always count on me that I'll listen."

"Well, aren't you great", Destiny said.

"So, anything you'd like to tell me?"

"No", Melissa said.

"You sure?"

The girls nodded once again. Silvana opened her mouth as if to say something, only to be interrupted by May.

"Um, actually… there is something", she admitted.

Silvana's eyes gleamed with pride; she finally managed to get them to open up. "Yes?"

"I've been having some… issues with my… uhm, period. I was just wondering is it normal for it to… you know… leak so much…"

"Well, it'd different… with each girl, you know", Silvana explained, her eyes wide in shock. _Is this a joke?_ she wondered.

May smiled. "Great, thanks."

Silvana sighed. These girls were a lot smarter than she thought; it'll take a whole lot more to get information out of them. They're protecting something – Silvana was sure of it – but how long does it take for them to spill the secret out. Maybe it was her approach; she shouldn't have been so nice. Maybe being a bitch would cause them to talk. _No harm in trying,_ she thought, clearing her throat. _Okay, here it goes._

"You are such little liars", she said.

All four – May, Melissa, Destiny and Dyson – looked up at her. Her face wasn't happy and cheerful anymore; it looked like the place of a maniacal madwoman.

"Excuse me?" Dyson asked, a bit intimidated by – usually nice – teacher's outburst.

"I know you're hiding something. I don't know what, but I'm on my way to find out. That experiment of yours – it wasn't just any experiment. I've checked it, it's just ordinary water. Thought you could fool me? Now tell me what this whole thing is about, or, I swear to God, I'll search through every piece of this goddamn city until I find what in the fucking hell you're hiding."

"We are not hiding anything!" Destiny said, her voice trembling with anger. How dare that woman approach them like that, play all nice and them explode like a fucking time bomb? There was something seriously wrong with her.

"Don't you lie to me, little girl! I know there's something you don't want me to see!"

"Oh really? How about some proof for your claims?" This time it was Melissa. She balled her fists, angel boiling in her eyes and her cheeks as red as rubies. Silvana looked at her as if she were seeing a ghost, which was enough for Melissa. First Chris and now this – it was too much for her to handle. "You don't have any, do you? You're just trying to scare us so we could spill it out, aren't you? Well, you're wrong! You're not getting anything from us! I'm sick and tired of this shit! All you people think about is yourselves! Gang up at Melissa because she's so stupid and short, she'll tell you everything! She has no mind of her own, she just a stupid little brat! Well, no ma'am! I'm not taking any more of this shit! So you get your skanky ass out of here and leave us alone!" She paused for a moment, let out a long, relaxing breath and finally spoke again: "Well, that's actually all I wanted to say…"

Dyson's eyes widened in shock. He's never seen Melissa like this. He'd rather expect May or Destiny to have this kind of outburst, but not Melissa. She was always nice and quiet; if he hadn't heard this, there is no way he'd believe she's had such an outburst. One moment she was yelling at Silvana, but the other… he didn't know which of those insults applied to Silvana and which to Chris.

Silvana seemed as confused as he was. Her face all red and her eyes widened, she balled her fists as if preparing to hit someone. "Fine!" she said. "I'm leaving, but don't you think you got rid of me. This is not the end! Sooner or later I'll find out what you little brats are hiding. Mark my words!" Turning on her heel, she headed to the door, leaving the confused group alone.

Dyson, Melissa and Destiny immediately began to discuss the whole situation, while May just stared at the door. She always thought all the best about her chemistry teacher. After all, she was such a nice and kind lady, completely opposite of what their last chemistry teacher was. She could never, even in her worst nightmares, imagine that sweet, polite, good mannered Silvana to act like such a bitch. Even after she gave her, Melissa and Destiny a D for that project of theirs, May still, deep down, had a little bit respect for the teacher; respect that she, after the scene today, lost forever. _No one threatens me,_ May told herself as she clenched her fists. Not only her, but the other girls and Dyson too. Those three are May's family and who threatens her family cannot make it out without consequences. Silvana has underestimated who she dealt with – she knew nothing about what an angry mermaid could do.

Without another thought, May got up and headed outside. Dyson, Melissa and Destiny were so into their conversation about Silvana that they didn't even notice that their friend had left them. Once outside, May saw Silvana preparing her boat for a trip. She knew where the teacher was about to go; it was written all over her face and May read her like a book. Crossing her arms against her chest, May took a step farther, a look of determination on her face.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked. Her voice was eerily calm, but there was something in its tone that made it sound almost threatening and frightening.

"Something I should've done a long time ago", Silvana replied, not bothering to even look up at the girl.

"Don't think you'll gonna get away with this", May continued.

Silvana simply smirked. "I don't think it's your decision to make", she said and with one final look at the mermaid girl she signaled her husband to start the boat.

May frowned. _You're not gonna get away with this, Silvana. Not under my watch. _She watched Silvana's boat drive away and with a glance around herself, she jumped into the ocean, her legs merging into a tail. Silvana might be the tough one on the ground, but she should know that in the ocean, she's just as helpless as a fish on dry land. Nobody hurts a mermaid's pride and feelings and gets away with it; especially not when the mermaid's home and _family_ is endangered.

-H2O-

Silvana walked around in circles, a look of annoyance all over her face. Those girls and that boy – she thought she'd break them with a single demand, but they're too tough of a shell to break. She sighed. She should've known better. Those four have probably kept that secret for a long time – a secret that could bring huge success to her career and earn her so much money that she'd never have to work again in her whole life. Yet those four annoying kids decided to play smart with her and deny her her fortune; the fortune she deserved a long time ago. _That secret they're hiding must be important to them, _she concluded, _but they've underestimated who they're dealing with. I will figure it all out – they won't stand a chance against me._

Once he was sure they were far away from the shore, Chris came out and joined Silvana on the deck. He looked at his teacher's face and immediately felt sadness; those eyes of hers, always so cheerful and friendly, were now filled with grief and disappointment; disappointment in herself for not being able to figure out what was so important that those girls kept it that hidden. She looked as if she tried her hardest not to break down, but he knew well enough that she was just at the edge of tears.

"How did it go?" he asked, his voice full of sympathy and kindness. Judging by her expression, it didn't go well, but he had to ask just to be sure. He just had to be careful – the last thing he wanted was to make her cry. She was a nice lady and he would never break the heart of someone that was nothing but kind to him. He felt that it was his moral responsibility to treat her well, that way returning the favor as she treated him well as well.

"I've got nothing", she replied. She did her best to keep a straight face, but Chris knew from her voice, shaky as if it's on the edge of breaking into millions of tiny pieces, that she would, at the moment, rather just lie down and cry her eyes out.

"Look, Mrs. Moretti-"

"Silvana", she corrected him.

"_Silvana._ I know it's hard. Don't you think I haven't felt bad after dreaming of the day I will discover what that tail that saved me really is and when I finally found someone who knows everything – or at least more that they're saying – about it, but won't tell? I've been killing myself for days – I still am. But you know why because I'm not broken yet? Because I have hope! I hope that everything will turn out okay at the end; that we'll find what that thing is – both the water and the tail – and finally get it over with; that we'll make money with that discovery and have work-free lives until we die… What I want to say is that you should keep going on. Don't look backward, just forward. Keep your head up in pride, show them that they haven't broken you. You're too good of a person to be affected by the words spoken by some stupid kids –even though I'm their age, I stand behind it. They're stupid, you're smart. I'm smart. _We're_ smart. Together we're better than them. We'll figure it all out, you just need to give it time."

Silvana looked stunned. Nobody has ever said something like that in front of her – especially not _to_ her. The person that said that was just a boy at the age of fourteen – and yet he seemed so mature and wise. She smiled at him; it was a warm, gentle smile. Get eyes now gleamed with happiness and pride, tears from deep within them gone as if they never even existed.

"Better now?" Chris asked, smiling back at the teacher.

Silvana nodded. "Better. Thank you."

"You know, I think I might know a place where we might find something."

Silvana looked up at him. "And where would that be?"

"Ooha'oma."

"And why would you think that?"

Chris shrugged. "It's strange and lonely-looking, just like those four, so it wouldn't be a surprise if they felt just like home there."

Silvana's lips formed a small smile; she liked the sound of that plan.

-H2O-

May waved her arms, feeling the bubbles forming around her as she swam super-speed style after Silvana's boat. She followed her for about ten minutes; at first the boat moved slowly, but the farther away it had gotten from the surface, the faster it started to move. May had suspected that the teacher had headed to Ooha'oma, but the boat's movements proved her wrong – that it, until the last two minutes. The boat suddenly changed directions and started straight off towards Ooha'oma.

_No way,_ May thought, a strange feeling of anger and rage overwhelming her. _First my friends and boyfriend – my family! – and now my home too? This cannot go unpunished._ The mermaid swam closer to the boat, a look of determination on her face. Her look pointed toward the propeller, she slowly raised her right hand and began twisting it around. A familiar feeling of power and might shot through her body; the water was at her command now. It would obey her every order, make her every wish come true, dance the way she played.

As the water danced around it as wild and violent as a tornado, the propeller stopped; a sharp sound of screeching ripped through the water as it did. May rose her hand higher up, shaking and twisting it so hard that her fingers felt as if they're about to break I half. The surface of the ocean began to shake and waves started to form, causing the boat to shake as violently as the ground shakes during an earthquake. She wasn't sure, but May thought she heard worried demands and wonderings about what is happening.

Smirking, the mermaid pulled her hand back and in a quick move struck it up again. The water under the boat began to raise up, the boat rising with it as well. May gulped; the pain in her hand was unbearable. She had never before controlled such amount of water and no matter how good it felt to have the power, the price that came with controlling it was too much for her to handle. Still, she knew she couldn't stop now. She had to endure the pain and torture, in no way she would give up and let that bitch of a teacher win. If she does, Silvana will get to Ooha'oma; she will discover the girls' secrets, ruin their lives forever.

Gulping once again, May shook her hand and continued with the twisting, feeling the water's movements under her fingers.

-H2O-

"How the hell does she know?" Destiny wondered.

Melissa shrugged. "She… eavesdropped?"

"I'll tell you how", Dyson spoke. Both girls looked at him. "That project of yours. I never thought it was a good idea. But noooo… you'll do anything for a good grade. Before you say anything", he said as Melissa mouthed something, "I know you're no Einstein, but still, you could've done something simpler. Silvana is a good teacher – or at least she seemed like a good teacher. She may be a bitch, but she's a fair teacher. I don't think she'd have given you an F even if you came up to her with just a two-sentenced essay. Maybe none of it would've been that suspicious if May hadn't used her power to levitate the water; if it had stayed in the glass, everything might've turned out fine."

Destiny opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but Melissa beat her to it. "Hey, about May… where is she?"

Destiny rose an eyebrow. "Bathroom?"

Dyson quickly shook his head. "No, she would've told us. She would've asked one of you to go with her." His eyes widened as realization hit him; god, how he wished he was wrong, but knowing May, he knew he was probably right. "No. No, no, no, no, no, no… no! No way! No!"

Melissa shot him a confused glance. "No…?"

"She went after Silvana!" Dyson shouted; the whole café pointed their looks at him. His face red with shame, he continued his speech, this time speaking in a quieter tone. "She must've followed Silvana after she left. We were so into our conversation that we didn't even notice she disappeared. Quickly! Let's go! We have to stop her! She might do something seriously bad."

"It's Silvana. Why should we care?" Destiny asked coolly; her face expression as cold as ice.

"You've got to be kidding me! May is out there and she might hurt someone – a person – and you don't even care!"

Melissa shook her head. "Nope. Silvana has already stated what she thought of us. Why should we care what happens to her?"

Dyson looked at them, disbelief obvious in his deep, thoughtful eyes.

"What?" Destiny asked, confused.

"Give us a good reason to help her and we'll do it", Melissa stated.

Dyson sighed. It was obvious they were serious about what they've said and there was no talking them out of it. The only thing that would make them save the helpless – although bitchy – woman would be a reason, something he didn't have. _Think, Dyson, think,_ he thought to himself. What reason was good enough for the girls to get into action and save their Chemistry teacher?

After a few minutes of thinking, the teenage boy finally spoke up: "If you don't stop May, your secret might be in danger."

Even that simple sentence was enough for the girls, as both of them hurried toward the door. Dyson sighed in relaxation. Why hadn't he thought of that earlier?

-H2O-

Melissa and Destiny sped through the water, occasionally glancing at each other as if searching for comfort in the other's eyes. If Dyson hadn't mentioned their secret, there would be no way they'd go after May to stop her from doing whatever the hell she intended to do with Silvana. After all, the bitch deserved the treatment May had for her; if she hadn't attacked them just about half an hour ago, none of this wouldn't have happened. But no, she just had to play smart. Why did she have to know everything anyway? Couldn't have she just let it all go away and give the three of them an A for that project? The scientists sometimes seemed like a completely different species.

The two had no idea where to search for May and Silvana, but Destiny suggested going towards Ooha'oma. It was a strange, suspicious island; a total weirdness magnet, something definitely suited for May, Melissa, Destiny and Dyson – Destiny's words, not Melissa's.

It didn't take long for the two mermaids to find their mad friend. They saw May below the boat, her hand up and twisting. They instantly recognized that hand movement – she was using her powers and it wasn't for something silly. Destiny and Melissa swam over to their friend and both put their hands on her shoulders. May didn't even flinch, as if she had expected them to come after her. Her eyes still focused on the water that slowly rose to the air along with the boat, she kept her cool and concentrated full on using the right movement to control the water.

"Please", Melissa pleaded, but being underwater, it sounded almost as if a normal person was drowning; there was no sound, only bubbles that flew out of her mouth.

Destiny took May's other hand and with her other hand gently touched May's chin and turned it to face her; May's hazel eyes met Destiny's. Destiny shook her head, look in her eyes full of sadness. At first May ignored it, but the more she looked into those sad eyes, the more she felt remorseful and guilty. Finally, after Melissa glanced at her, wearing an expression as if she's about to cry, May broke and put her hand down. The water fell back down, along with the boat, followed by a loud, piercing splash. She would've continued with her intention, but the looks in Destiny and Melissa's eyes were breaking her heart. If only they haven't come after her.

Taking each other's hands, the girls turned around and swam back home.

-H2O-

The next day everything continued in its usual way. May, Melissa and Destiny went to school in the morning, still talking about yesterday's events. When Dyson joined them, he kept preaching to May about her behavior, saying that she could seriously hurt someone if she keeps doing that Her reply that hurting was what she was aiming for shut him up for good ten minutes, after which he kept blabbing something about school and homework, the speech the girls weren't interested in so they listened to every second word just so they can repeat it if he asks them to in order to make sure they were listening.

The school day went by fine. No Chemistry on Mondays, for which the girls were very grateful for. Chris wasn't at school that day, something Melissa cheered for. If he had been at school, she didn't know how she would've managed to spend time with him in the same classroom without breaking down.

Walking home from school, the girls decided to go to Ooha'oma after lunch, which Dyson quickly replied, saying he had homework to do. Those two hours passed quite fast and almost in no time, the three mermaids found themselves in the ocean, finding their way towards their home.

-H2O-

Chris had stayed with Silvana that Monday. That morning he took his bag and pretended to go to school around his parents, but once he left the house, he found himself on his way to Silvana's boat. He and Silvana had worked on theories about what happened the day before for almost whole morning. Arturo, Silvana's husband, bought them lunch around twelve, and Chris called his mother to say he was staying over with a friend after school. It was a sweet lie; small, yet effective. He hated lying to his parents, but if it concerned his future, which could be full of money and fortune, then lying was something he desperately needed in order to archive his goals.

"I still cannot believe how high it rose", Arturo spoke with disbelief. "I mean, we're lucky we've made it. Those people on weather reposts should be more precise. Someone could get killed. Good thing our son wasn't with us when it happened."

Chris frowned. Silvana never mentioned she had a son. "You have a son?"

"Yes. He's your age. He's currently sleeping at his friend's house. I didn't want him here because I thought something dangerous might happen. Turns out I was right." She shot Arturo a warning glare.

Arturo put his hands up in defense. "Hey, I told you I was sorry last night. Want me to repeat it?"

"No, just like to point it out. You wanted to forbid him from sleeping over at his friend's. If you did, yesterday he might've gotten hurt", Silvana said and looked at Chris. "But you're alright, right? You didn't get hurt or anything?" she asked, a dose of worry in her warm voice. In that short time she'd known him, Chris had become like a second son to her. If anything happened to him, it would cause that mama bear mode she hid deep inside to surface and nobody wanted to be near her when that happened.

At around two, Silvana ordered Arturo to take her and Chris to Ooha'oma. Once on the island, the two walked around, looking for traces of anything that might sound unusual or strange. Walking over towards the rocks, they both sighed in defeat. There was nothing on this damn island that seemed at least a tiny bit suspicious – except for those unusually sized spiders, but this _is_ an uninhabited island we're talking about.

They were ready to give up their search and return to the boat, when suddenly Chris tripped over a large rock and fell down. Giving him a hand and helping him stand up, Silvana noticed something odd about the rock; not actually about the rock itself, but about what was hidden behind it. With Chris' help, she managed to remove the rock, revealing a tunnel similar to a toboggan. Without another thought, she slipped into the tunnel, Chris following quick after. What she found when her butt hit the rocky ground was something she'd never, not even in a million years, expected to find.

She was in a small cave and in front of her stood a small, circle shaped pool of crystal blue water. Sun's bright says shot the water from above the volcano cone, making it sparkle in a beautiful feature of colors. It was one of the most beautiful things Silvana had seen in her life.

While the teacher stared in amazement, Chris looked around the small cave, searching for anything that might help him and Silvana in their research. Kneeling down, he found a strange looking scale lying next to the pool. He gently picked up the scale and observed it, before getting up to his feet and showing it to Silvana.

"This is it. This scale… it's exactly the same as the one on that tail I saw", Chris explained.

"Interesting", Silvana said, still amazed by the place's beauty. Taking out her phone, she called her husband. "Arturo, I need you to get the bars. We might be onto something here. Oh, and I need you to get here underwater. Yes, exactly. So you put it and wait. It will show up." When she hung up, she noticed a confused Chris staring at her. "Oh, right. I figured that whatever that thing is, it's going to come back here. We'll wait for it, if that's alright with you. I called Arturo to get the bars, so when the creature comes in, we can capture it."

Chris nodded, agreeing with the plan. "Yeah, sure. Not like I have anything better to do."

The waiting hadn't lasted for long, but it felt like it was days. Silvana began to walk in circles, every once in a while observing the rocks in amazement. Chris was sitting cross-legged in front of the pool, running his fingers through the shiny turquoise water. _Come on, creature. Come on, show up,_ he thought.

In about thirty minutes Chris and Silvana noticed something moving in the water. It was bronze, but there were some traces of dark brown around it. Chris and Silvana both took a few steps back, their eyes focused on the figures in the water. Three faces suddenly dove out of the water; three very, _very_ familiar faces.

May, Melissa and Destiny stared at their chemistry teacher and classmate, whose eyes were wide open with shock. Three mermaids were just in front of them, their heads and tails above the water's surface.

**So what do you think? The next chapter is a final chapter of season one. Please review.**


	26. Total Eclipse of the Heart

**Hello! Sorry for the long wait. So finally here it is: the last chapter of my H2O season 1! This chapter is named after Bonnie Tyler's song. It's a really beautiful song. I highly recommend you listen to it.**

"No way!" Chris exclaimed, staring at three girls whose eyes were focused on him and the teacher near him. He eyed Melissa, Destiny and May; their wet hair, bare shoulders, a scaled bikini top on their chests. His eyes trailed over their bodies and stopped when they saw something they never hoped to see: below the girls' waists large, bronze fish-like tails stood in place of their legs.

Chris' heart stopped a beat, his arms falling along with his body. He stood still, as if frozen in time, eyes locked onto three mermaids in the small pool. Nothing less would he expect of May and Destiny; he always found them kind of weird and freakish. But Melissa… no, that wasn't her! He went out with her, hung out with her. They kissed, told jokes to each other, and actually liked each other. He might've been a bastard for using Melissa, but there was something in him that always thought of her being a great girl. That something hoped that she had no part in all of that, that everything was just May, Destiny and Dyson's twisted plan in which Melissa had no involvement.

But he was wrong. So very, very wrong. Melissa was a part of everything and even if he wanted to, there was nothing he could do for her now. She got herself into that mess by her own actions.

"What the… You're… you're..." Silvana muttered, unable to find the right words that would describe just what was in front of her. All the things that came to her mind sounded unreal, like something out of a comic book. And comic books were the last things a scientist should use as source of information.

Three mermaids frowned, their faces bearing pained, scared expressions. It has happened. It has finally happened. They've been exposed – and to none other than a scientist who happened to be their bitchy chemistry teacher. There was no out of it now. Even if they somehow managed to make a run for it and tell everyone Silvana and Chris are crazy, those two would always know the truth. Nothing was stopping them from running to other scientists or people that specialize in magical beings – and if that happened, the girls would be in an even bigger mess.

"Stay right where you are", ordered Silvana through clenched teeth.

The three girls barely managed to suppress laughter. Did she really think she was in a position to order them around? Who did she think she was? Nobody gave them orders, not even their parents. What made Silvana think they would listen to her? She was nobody to them and had no right to tell them what to do.

"My, I thought that boat thing yesterday would teach you manners. I guess I was wrong", May commented, shrugging.

Silvana's face was red with fury. "You did that?"

May frowned, a look of disbelief on her face. "Who else? Get real, lady. I could've killed right there and no one would know. I wanted to, actually. You can thank my friends here that you're still alive. They didn't let me go through with my plan, but I swear, if they weren't there to stop me, you'd be shark food by now. So show some gratitude!"

"How could you do that?" This time it was Chris. He looked scared; May wouldn't be surprised if he pissed his pants right there at that exact moment. He was seriously frightened. Those three girls were not only fish, but could do things no ordinary human could. They were dangerous; too dangerous to exist. May should have been ashamed of her actions. Instead, there she was looking all proud of what she had done. She almost killed him, for heaven's sake!

"I think it's us that should be asking you that", Destiny retorted.

He immediately looked down in shame. Suddenly, a screeching sound was heard. It seemed to be coming from under the water and the girls were knew that now was the time to run – or in their case swim – for their lives. Giving Chris and Silvana one last deadly glare, they dove under the water and went to swim out.

Only to face thick metallic bars blocking their exit.

Panicking, May grabbed the bars and began to hit them with her fists. No, this wasn't how it was going to end! Silvana wasn't going to get them. She'll never have their tails. _I'll get out,_ she told herself, her every following blow stronger and angrier. _We'll all get out._ She noticed Destiny and Melissa hitting the bars as well and kept on throwing punches. At one point, the girls tried using their powers, but to no avail – the bars were too strong for their magic to break them.

May's heart beat faster and faster, panic completely taking her over. She was trembling, shaking with fear; the only thing that kept her from crying was the fact that she was underwater.

She kept punching the bars, ignoring the pain in her hands. Not even horrible, bleeding cuts stood in her way of getting away from those horrible people.

Seeing their friend's bloody, injured hands, Melissa and Destiny pulled her into a hug, holding her tight against their bodies. Even though they couldn't say anything, May knew exactly what they wanted to tell her – that it's futile to keep on hitting the bars and that Silvana and her science buddies aren't worth her injuries.

The girls resurfaced, once again facing their teacher and classmate, but this time there was an addition – a man in his early forties stood by Silvana, arms crossed over his chest, his eyes inspecting the three mermaids with curiosity.

"Allow me to introduce my husband", Silvana said, pointing her manicured finger at the strange man. "This is Arturo."

"Howdy", he greeted them with a fake smile, winking at them in a seductive way.

Destiny made a disgusted face, suddenly ashamed to be in front of those three having nothing but scaled top covering her breasts. How dare that man wink at them like that? How dare he look happy, when they were in so much pain? She could only hope that once the roles would be reversed and those three would be caged in the moon pool, while she, May and Melissa look at them in a threatening way, pleased with the misery they're causing them.

As if she was reading Destiny's mind, May looked at her two friends, her eyes filled with tears she bravely held back. The two knew right away what their friend was about to do and they instantly nodded at her, approving of her actions.

Suddenly May raised her hand and twisted it left and right. Following her order, a ball of water the size of a basketball rose up from the moon pool. Then Melissa straightened her hand, freezing the ball, shooting Silvana, Chris and Arturo one last glare before curving her lips into a smile.

Clenching her teeth, May sent the ball at Silvana, aiming right between her eyes. The woman dodged in the last moment, falling to the rocky ground. Arturo quickly went to her side, while Chris glared at the girls, fear written all over his face.

May returned the glare, smirking as she waved her finger in front of him in a threatening way. She knew that Silvana would die had the frozen water ball hit her, but she felt no remorse. In fact, she wanted her to die! She wanted her to feel her pain, wanted her to suffer. And the moment she glared at Chris, she found herself wishing the same things for him. He betrayed them to that woman, lied to them, manipulated Melissa. No one does that to May and her friends and gets away with it, and Chris was no exception.

Just as she was about to send another ball of water at the three, Silvana spoke up, her hands above her head in a surrendering way. "Wait! Please, just let us explain."

The mermaids looked at one another and nodded. May lowered her hand and turned all her attention to her teacher. This better be something good, or else she was ready to send a bigger ball at the woman; and this there'd be no time to dodge.

"We can work together, girls", Silvana continue. "It doesn't have to be this way. You can help us and we can help you. Together we could reach a common goal."

Destiny raised an eyebrow. "A common goal? You and we have no common goals. All you three clowns think about is money and fame and whatnot. We, on the other hand, only want to be left alone. I see no common goal there."

"I'm sure we could work something out. I mean, don't you girls want to know what happens when you transform? Don't you want to earn a lot of money and live work-free for your whole lives? Think about it. You're mermaids. This is the discovery of a century. If we joined forces, we'd be unstoppable. No one would ever be able to compare to us. All those people would be beneath us if only we worked together."

May rolled her eyes. This whole thing has really started to get on her nerves. All she wanted was to go home, get some rest, watch The Vampire Diaries and get her mind off all the things that happened to her. "First of all", she said, as if pointing out something obvious to the whole world, "we already know what happens when we transform – we grown a tail. Second, we don't want anything from you – especially not your money – and third, we'll never, ever work with you."

"She's right", Melissa agreed. She shot Chris an accusing glare. "Let's face it, Silvana – you're beneath us. All three of you are beneath us. So we're telling you now: leave us alone or we'll have to make you. And I promise you, it won't be pretty."

All happiness left Silvana's face. She was angry, furious at those three girls. She's never seen such stupid, mouthy teenagers in her life and she's worked at all kinds of schools for almost twenty years. Those three thought that they could outsmart her, bully her into giving all of her research up. But they were wrong. So very, very wrong. She was older than them, smarter, wiser. There was nothing those three could do to make her change her mind about experimenting on them. She tried giving them a chance to cooperate, but they were too stupid to even consider her offers.

Even if they changed their minds, it was too late now. She will keep up with her research and they will be the guinea pigs, whether they like it or not. She tried to talk them into doing things the easy way, but they were obviously into the hard one.

"Arturo, let's go get our equipment. Chris, would you be so kind to watch those three while we're away?" she said in her sweetest voice.

Chris nodded, still shaken by recent discoveries. After the two left, he kneeled before the moon pool and took a look at three sad, hurt mermaids. "Wha-how? I don't… I can't…"

"Just shut up, Chris! You've already done enough", scolded Melissa.

"But how? I mean, it's not like this… this is…" Chris muttered, unsure what to say. He was so sure about this, so confident that he will finally find out what that tail that saved him was. But now that everything came out, he wasn't so sure he wanted to know. Destiny and May were nice girls. Strange, but nice. And Melissa… she was special to him, so sweet and innocent like a child. He used her to get what he wanted and now he just kneeled there, watching her with sadness in his eyes. He never thought he'd feel this way. He wasn't even sure what that strange feeling was. Was it pain? Guilt? Shame? All of that combined?

"And I trusted you", Melissa commented.

"I thought you were cute", May said, making a disgusted face.

"We tried setting Melissa up with you", Destiny continued. "How could you? She believed in you. She even defended you against us. I never thought anyone could be this arrogant, but I guess I was wrong. You win the golden medal for talking believable bullshit."

"I'm…" he tried to apologize, but words were stuck in his throat. Why would he apologize anyway? They got into this mess all by themselves! He had no part in it…

Only he had. He used Melissa, went to Silvana, led her to them. This wasn't their fault. It was his! And at that exact moment he decided to do something about it because if he hadn't, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. His parents always taught him that he should respect everyone no matter what color their skin was, where they were from, what they did and didn't believe in or what their sexual orientation was. They taught him to treat everyone with equal respect, saying that if he didn't want to be discriminated, so don't other people.

And right now that's exactly what he was doing. He was discriminating those girls, helping Silvana and Arturo lock them and probably dissect them later. He had to do something about it, but he wasn't sure what. He knew that they will never forgive him for what he had done to them, but he wanted to at least try to make it up to them.

"I'm so, so sorry", he finally apologized.

"Don't. Just don't", Melissa said, not accepting his apology. "Do you seriously think that one 'I'm sorry' will fix everything? Look around, Chris. You've done the damage! Sorry doesn't fix this! Sorry doesn't make those bars go away! Sorry doesn't make Silvana and what's-his-name leave us alone! Sorry doesn't erase all those things you did to me!"

"Can I at least try to make it up to you?" Chris pleaded.

Melissa seemed to consider it. "You want to?"

He nodded his head. "Yes! I'll do anything you ask me to. Anything, really! All you have to do is ask and it'll be done."

"Okay", Melissa said. She swam closer to him, looking him right in the eye. Their faces were only inches away from one another, their noses almost touching. Melissa pouted her lips, took a small breath and spoke in slow, seductive tone: "I. Want. You. To. Go. To. Hell." With that she burst into laughter. May and Destiny were quick to join in.

Chris was left speechless. Without another word he got up to his feet and exited the cave, enjoying the afternoon sun that lightened up the island. Melissa was right. He really should go to hell after everything he had done. He deserved to be punished. He deserved to be hated by everyone.

But even though Melissa despised him, he refused to give up. He had to help her and the girls somehow. He was out of ideas at the moment, but he was sure he could think something up if he only sat somewhere quiet and thought things through.

_Maybe I could steal Silvana's boat,_ he thought to himself, but instantly ditched the idea. He had no idea how to drive that thing and even if he did, it was too dangerous to even consider it. He had to think of something else.

"Hey!" Silvana's voice shook him out of his thoughts. She handed the equipment she was carrying to Arturo and went over to Chris. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

He shook his head. He considered telling her that maybe this wasn't such a good idea, that those girls could be set free and that the whole thing could be completely forgotten. He wanted to tell her that he wanted no part in it anymore. He wanted her to know how much pain all that was causing him, how his heart was breaking into millions of tiny pieces watching Melissa all helpless in that pool.

But he knew he had to keep quiet. Silvana might be nice now, but if she thought that Chris might turn his back on her, she'd go psycho and dangerous just like she went on the girls. So he had to keep pretending to be on her side. He had to let her know that she could still trust him.

"I hate them", he said firmly. "They're freaks of nature. They shouldn't exist. I can't stand to watch them. They disgust me." He swallowed, hard. It pained him so much to say those hateful words, but if he wanted it to be believable, she had to be convinced of his utter hatred of them.

"I understand, Chris. They're abominations of nature. Their kind… you're completely right, they should not exist. There's no place for them in this world. They have to be locked up and tested. You saw what that brat did to us yesterday. They're too dangerous to outside of the laboratory", Silvana said. Her voice was so motherly, so protective, so full of kindness that Chris almost felt sorry for deciding to betray her. But he knew better than that. No matter how nice or sweet she was to him, he had already made the decision to help the girls.

"They're terrible", he muttered.

Silvana nodded at him and patted his shoulder. "Why don't you wait for us to finish here? You can go out for a walk to calm down. Or you could go rest on the boat. How does that sound, sweetheart?"

"You're right. I'll go to the boat, maybe watch some TV, if that's okay with you."

"I think that's a great idea!" Silvana turned to him, giving him one last smile before slipping down the tunnel into the cave.

_Yeah, really a great idea,_ Chris thought as he walked toward the beach where the boat was left. He knew what he had to do. There was a person that could help the girls. He was certain that that person would know what to do in a situation like this. After all, _he_ was their closes friend.

Chris took out his cellphone and dialed the number.

"Hello?" spoke the voice on the other end of the line.

"Hi, Dyson. It's Chris."

Dyson was quiet for a few short moments, probably wondering if he should hang up. "What do you want?" he finally said. Chris gulped. He'd never imagined Dyson could sound so irritated, so annoyed. Dyson was always sweet and docile, never angry at someone. When someone so nice spoke to him like that, Chris knew his actions were wrong.

"I've done something! I've done something bad! Please, help me make it right!" he pleaded, desperate for someone to help him make things right again.

"Calm down", Dyson told him, taking a deep breath. "What did you do?"

"I…" He hesitated for a moment. He knew Dyson will be pissed when he hears about what he had done. Hell, he was pissed at himself for being stupid and screwing everything. Without his stupid curiosity, none of this would have happened. "I teamed up with Silvana and… and…" his voice was breaking, shattering like fragile glass. Tears were threatening to spill from his eyes, but he held them back. He couldn't cry now. Girls needed his help and he wouldn't be able to help them if he broke down. "The girls are locked on Ooha'oma, in some strange cave with a pool. Listen, I-I know that they're mermaids. Silvana also knows. S-she wants t-to hurt them. Please, help me. Help _them! _I'm begging you to do something."

"You what?" Dyson shrieked, almost making Chris drop his phone. "Melissa saved you and this is how you repay her? Ungrateful bastard, that's what you are!"

Chris' eyes widened in surprise. Melissa saved him? That tail he saw that night… it belonged to Melissa? All of this time he was hunting that thing, constantly thinking about it, imagining it in all shapes and sizes, only to discover it was in front of him the whole time. Not it – _her!_ She was kind, noble, sweet. She saved him, despite the fact that she risked her secret by doing so. And what did he do in return? Instead of thanking her, he joined forces with Silvana and hunted her and her friends down. How could he be so stupid? He'd never felt more guilty in his whole life.

"I know I deserved that. I know I was an asshole and that I hurt Melissa and the girls. You can insult me all you want, but right now, I really need your help. I don't know what to do."

Dyson sighed. "Okay, okay. Let's think this through. I need more details. When you said that they're locked, what did you mean by that? Are they chained? Caged maybe?"

Chris shook his head, and then realized that Dyson can't see him. "There are bars blocking the entrance to the pool."

"Okay. Great. I think I have an idea. I'll be there in a ten minutes. Tell the girls to prepare to leave."

"Thank you, Dyson. Thank you so much!"

"I'm doing this for them, Chris" Dyson told him. "Not for you."

-H2O-

Melissa rested her head on May's shoulder, squeezing her hand and trying her hardest not to cry. Chris or Silvana or that third guy could come back at any minute and she had no intention of letting them know they had managed to break her. She wasn't that short, sweet, innocent little girl anymore. Now she was strong, powerful, with amazing supernatural powers. She was a mermaid, species that was believed to have no soul, no heart, only the desire to kill and destroy.

Maybe those beliefs were right. Maybe she should just let herself go, get lost in the power that pumped through her veins. Maybe she should let the ocean take her away; away from all the suffering; away from everything bad and horrible; away from hurt and betrayal; away from life in general.

When she first became a mermaid, the first thing that came to her mind was how cool it all was. Then came the powers and adventures with her friends. She'd never had more fun in her life than she did after she became a mermaid. Everything seemed so easy now, she amazing and wonderful. Being a mermaid allowed her to see the world as a better place with lots of beautiful features and creatures.

And now all of that was falling apart. They were stupid to do that project. They shouldn't have done that. If they hadn't, Silvana would still be their perky, nice new teacher with a heart of gold. But maybe it was all destiny; maybe seeing Silvana's real face was something they were fated to do.

"I suggest we fight", Destiny said in a serious voice, shaking Melissa out of her thoughts.

May instantly agreed to it, thinking about all the things she could do to Silvana and her lackeys with her powers. She could drown them, take control of their blood and make them her slaves or – the last idea was her personal favorite – she could make them bleed from their eyes, ears, mouth and nose, enjoying the sound of their pained screams and pleads.

Melissa, however, was a bit reluctant. Yes, she wanted revenge and yes, those three definitely deserved it, but no matter how much she'd loved causing them pain, she couldn't stand the fact that their list of people to get revenge on included Chris. Despite the fact that he used her, manipulated her, hurt her feelings, lied to her, and led Silvana to her and the girls, there was still something deep inside of her that hated every thought of hurting him.

Didn't he apologize just a few minutes ago? Didn't he offer to make things right again? She's seen him lying countless of times and she could guarantee that this time he was telling the truth. Melissa was sure that she saw the tears in his eyes; tears that he bravely held back. Maybe he really did change; maybe he truly wanted to help her and the girls and get them out of that mess.

And what did she do when he offered help? She sent him to hell and laughed at his saddened face.

"I think-" Melissa started, but was cut off by Arturo entering the cave, carrying an armful of his and his wife's equipment and gadgets. Not long after him Silvana came down and sent the girls and accusing glare. She seemed angry, furious at them from some unknown reason, but despite all that, Melissa could have sworn she saw a spark of jealousy in her teacher's eyes.

She immediately told May and Destiny about it, only for May to say: "Of course she's jealous. We're mermaids with ass-kicking powers and she's only human. I too would be jealous of us."

"Maybe we can use this to our advantage", Destiny suggested.

Melissa wasn't so fond of that idea. "No way. If we taunt her, she'll only get angrier. Who knows what she could do."

The other two mermaids found her explanation reasonable and nodded, agreeing to keep quiet.

"What are you three whispering about?" Silvana spoke, causing the mermaids to flinch. The chemistry teacher was smiling, obviously satisfied that she managed to startle them.

"We were just discussing about what place would be the best to dump the body without it being found in a _loooong_ time", Destiny replied cockily.

Silvana chuckled. "You're funny, I give you that. Annoying, but funny." But then her expression darkened. "You do know that you will never go outside again, right? So I suggest you get used to small places, because the place you'll be locked up at is one of them!"

Arturo smirked at his wife's words and proudly exclaimed: "Yeah!"

"Shut the fuck up!" May suddenly shouted. She put her hand up in the air, her palm pointed at the two scientists in a threatening way. She was sick of that woman's attitude; sick of her constant threats and orders. Didn't she realize that they were – though only partly – human too? Didn't she know that they too had feelings that could get hurt?

"Now, now. Let's not do something we'll all regret", Silvana tried to reason with a vengeful mermaid, her hands up in the air in a surrendering way. She did her best not to sound angry or patronizing; the last thing she needed was for the mermaid to go all psycho and crazy like she did the day before.

"Oh, there's nothing I'll regret", May said. "The only ones regretting anything will be the two of you."

"Put your hand down, girl", Arturo ordered.

His words only made May angrier.

"Let's get something straight, _dude._ You're in no position to give me orders. With one twist of my hand I could make you explode from inside out and I can promise you that you would still be alive afterwards just so I could hear you scream. You'd beg me to kill you, beg me to stop the pain, but I wouldn't move a finger to help you. You know why? Because I love causing people pain. So don't play smart with me. Now get down here and unlock the goddamn bars!"

"Not gonna happen. Listen, may, Melissa, Destiny. You're threatening us, but I'm sure you don't want to dirty your hands by committing murder", Silvana reasoned again and like last time, it was to no avail.

"Actually, we're pretty comfortable with the idea of killing you", Destiny said with a straight face. "Think about it. We kill you, dump the bodies in the ocean, in a few days parts of you wash up on some beach – but not the whole bodies because sharks eat what they find delicious – and some tourist finds you. The police find your boat in the middle of the ocean and _voilá_ – the whole thing gets ruled out as a diving accident."

Silvana seemed terrified by this. The girls have obviously planned the whole thing out and there was nothing she could do to get herself and her husband out of this. Unless… She smirked, proud that she came up with such a brilliant idea.

"You do that and you'll never find your friend Dyson again."

Now it was time for the mermaids to be scared. Silvana had Dyson? She couldn't possibly do that. She wouldn't dare touch him. Yes, she wanted this mermaid project of hers to work, but she wouldn't go as far as to kidnap Dyson. Would she?

"You didn't!" May said through clenched teeth. For a moment she considered putting her hand down, but decided to keep it in the air. Who knew what Silvana was capable of? Dyson could have been safe and sound doing his homework in his room. He could have been freely swimming in the ocean, diving, picking up all kinds of shells and taking pictures of sea animals.

But he also could have been locked up somewhere, alone and afraid, tortured for information about them. The thought of that sickened May. She wanted to see him, touch his hand, hold him in her arms more than anything in the world. Screw her secret, screw everything!

If Silvana had done something to him, she would pay. Big time.

"Oh, yes, I did." The scientist and her husband burst into laughter. "Before you do something stupid, think of your poor friend. All sad and injured, locked up in a small room, running out of air… tortured because you were too stupid to keep your anger to yourself."

"You bitch!" May spat. She stretched out her hand, eyes fixated at Silvana. The teacher instantly fell to her knees, hugging herself. Her screams of pain echoed in the cave, so loud, agonizing.

"Don't!" Destiny shrieked and grabbed May's hand, forcefully putting it down in the water. Silvana breathed out and quickly got to her feet, Arturo by her side.

"Des is right, May", Melissa said.

May burst into tears. "She has Dyson", she sobbed. "She's hurting him. I can't let her get away with that."

"But if we kill her, he might die as well. Who knows where she locked him", Melissa explained.

"I hate her, Mel. I hate her!" May exclaimed. "I want her to die. I want her to suffer. I hate that bitch!"

Two mermaids pulled their crying friend into a hug, whispering comforting words into her ear.

Without another word May dove under the water, leaving the two mermaids alone on the surface. The two shot Silvana and Arturo angry glares, hoping that they would see the error in their ways, but the two scientists kept laughing, obviously not affected by May's tears.

Destiny clenched her fists, barely holding back the urge to use her powers. How could those people be so cruel? How could they torture them so much? They've done nothing to them to deserve all that.

Silvana and Arturo used the awkward moment of silence to set up their equipment. The teacher then turned to the girls and asked in a mocking tone: "So which one would like to be first? Come on, don't be shy."

The mermaids at glared at her. If she wanted to get them out of the moon pool, she'd have to use force. Because there was no way they were willingly getting out.

-H2O-

May dove all over to the bottom of the pool, where she sat, resting her head against the rock. She stared at metallic bars that blocked her way to freedom, a mix of feelings boiling inside of her. Anger, sadness, rage, hurt, pride raved through her body, breaking her down and pulling her together at the same time. She always thought of herself as strong, independent person. Whenever bullies hurt her or took advantage of her when she was little, there was little light in her heart telling her she'd be strong once, so strong she'll be able to fight them off.

And the light was right. She became a mermaid; a strong, powerful, courageous creature, beautiful and graceful, unique in her own way. No one could touch her now without paying for it. Not even her parents could stop her now. She had the power now, she was in charge of herself, of her life, of her body.

Or so she thought.

Everything was great and then Silvana just had to come and ruin it all for her. May crossed her arms over her chest, digging her nails into the skin on her shoulders, trying her hardest not to break. But why bother? She was already broken, already in pieces. Silvana had managed to break her down, tear her up inside until nothing was left but empty, meaningless shell, a shadow of her past, happy self.

She wanted Dyson here so badly. She wanted him to come up behind her and kiss her, assure her that everything will be okay. She wanted him to wake her up and tell her that this was all a bad dream and that everything would be okay.

But she was old enough to know that those were all just fantasies. Dyson won't come; she'll be locked up forever. Her boyfriend will be tortured and left to die somewhere in the middle of the ocean. If he's lucky, his injuries will kill him before sharks get to him and rip his body to shreds.

May closed her eyes, burying her head into her hands, fed up with everything. She wanted it all to end and if she could, she would end it herself at that exact moment. She thought about killing herself before – it wouldn't be that hard.

Suddenly, a hand touched her shoulder and she forced herself to open her eyes. She saw Dyson on the other side of the bars, smiling and waving at her. All hard feelings went away in an instant. Seeing his face made her happier than when she watched Elena and Damon kiss on The Vampire Diaries – when she saw that scene, she began to jump around the house in excitement. The only thing that kept her from jumping right now was her tail.

She reached out and took Dyson's hand, gently caressing it with her fingers. She leaned in to him and kissed his lips, her hand caressing his cheek. She wanted him to hold her, hug her forever, until the end of days, but she saw in his eyes that he wouldn't stay for long. In his hand was a large metallic chain. He began to wrap it around the bars and May, realizing what he wanted to do, instantly offered her help.

Together the two lovers wrapped the chain around the bars, tightening it to be sure it wouldn't break. Engaging into one last, passionate kiss, the two parted. Dyson swam up, leaving May locked behind the bars, his kiss promising that soon he will set her free.

A few minutes have passed in peace. May wondered if Dyson was in some kind of trouble. After all, there were sharks around Ooha'oma, along with other dangerous animal species. What if one of the got to him? What if he was already dead?

She was shaken out of her thoughts when she noticed that she chain around the bars tensed. It began to pull them with all the force it could muster. _Dyson!_ May thought. She got a few inches away from the bars and spread out her hand, activating her power and ordering it to push the bars. Dyson might not be strong enough to pull them away; his boat might not have enough force to do it, so May decided to help.

And finally, after ten torturous minutes, the lock that held the bars snapped. The chain pulled the bars away. May smiled at her and Dyson's success. She and the girls were now finally free to go!

She turned around and lightly hit her friends' tails, signaling them that their way to freedom is finally opened.

-H2O-

"Come on, girls. Don't be shy. I don't bite, I swear", Silvana spoke in a fake sweet voice.

"Well, not out of bedroom anyway", Arturo commented and both him and his wife burst into laughter.

Melissa and Destiny frowned, disgusted by the couple's comments. It was bad enough that they were stuck with them in the moon pool; now they had to listen to their romance stories. If they wanted bad romance, they'd go home and read Twilight, which at the moment seemed much more pleasant than the two scientists before them.

Then a strange noise was heard, startling all four of them. The two mermaids felt May's hands on their tails and looked at each other. That only means one thing – they were free to go away from those horrible people.

"What the-" Silvana muttered.

Destiny and Melissa smiled at her, provoking her anger, and then dove under the water. Along with May, they swam their way to freedom, which never felt as great as it did now.

Silvana and Arturo were left growling, their anger towards the mermaids growing.

-H2O-

May, Melissa and Destiny dried off at the beach near May's house. May had already told them everything about Dyson and his saving spree. All three of them made mental notes to thank him as soon as they see him; Destiny even considered giving him a hug, but her being her, that idea was dismissed as soon as it came. There was no way she was hugging Dyson. Her sarcasm was rivaling Dyson's intelligence. It's always been that way and always will be. No hugging or snuggly feelings.

Just as they were about t enter May's house, the girls heard their names being called and turned around, facing a smiling Dyson. May ran to him and pulled him into a hug, pressing her lips to his, leaning into a passionate kiss. Melissa giggled at the sight of two cheerful lovers and even Destiny managed to pop out a smile, despite the fact that she was usually disgusted by their kisses.

"Thank you so much! I'd never make it without you!" May said, resting her head on his chest.

"Correction: _we'd_ never make it without you", Melissa said and ran up to Dyson, giving him a hug.

Destiny just nodded at him and thanked him; he was about to hug her, but in the last minute they decided that it would be too awkward for them so they shook hands instead.

"How did you know?" May asked him.

"Chris told me", Dyson replied. Seeing the girls' shocked expressions, he added: "I know. I could hardly believe that too. But he called and said that you were in danger, so I came to help you out. In fact, he drove here with me. I left him in the marina. He wanted to come with me to see you guys, but I told him to go away."

"You did the right thing", Destiny voiced her approval of his actions. "If I saw him here, I'd burn him to a crisp. Good thing he listened to you."

"Maybe he's changed", Melissa said.

May's eyes widened at her friend's statement. "Maybe he's changed? Mel, he sold us out to that woman. He worked with her against us. He used you. Have you forgotten about that?"

"I know, I know. But still… he apologized to me. He went as far to get Dyson to help us. Maybe he wants to make it up to us."

"Maybe this is some sort of a game he and Silvana are playing. You know, make us think we're safe and then poof, freedom, off you go", Destiny said.

Dyson shook his head. "I think Melissa is right. I know what Chris did, but I feel sorry for the guy. He was crying the whole way back. Silvana called him and he told her that some things are more important than money and fame. He obviously wants to change."

"Let's forget about Chris for a moment. We have more important things to worry about", May said. "What do we do with Silvana?"

Destiny raised her hand. "I suggest we kill her."

"I'm with you on that one", May agreed, raising her hand as well. "Anyone else for killing Silvana, raise your hand."

She expected Dyson to scold her and Destiny for even thinking about killing their teacher, but instead his, just as the two of them, raised his hand, nodding approvingly at the two girls. May smiled at him and kissed his cheek. Finally she and he agree on something.

Destiny looked at Melissa. "Mel?"

Melissa shook her head. "I don't know guys. How about we visit my grandma? She'd know what to do. She always does."

"I think that's an even better idea", Dyson said. "What do you think, girls?"

Destiny shrugged and agreed, having nothing to lose if she asked the old lady for advice. After all, Rose Tanner – Melissa's grandma – used to be a mermaid once. A few months ago she told them a story about how she lost her powers during a special Moon because some boys found out about her and her friend. Destiny was ready for both the good and the bad news. There was no special Moon tonight, meaning no power losing, so she was pretty much safe in that department. She wondered what the old lady will tell them to do.

May, on the other hand, objected to it. Now that she knew that Dyson was safe and that Silvana had lied to them about holding him captive, there was nothing stopping her and the girls from killing their teacher and that idiot of her husband. If they used their powers, no one would ever link the murders to them. Sure, at first the bodies would look strange, but eventually the whole thing would be ruled out as an accident.

"May, why kill people if there's another way? We can at least listen to all the possibilities and then decide", Dyson said.

May was about to argue with that, but seeing hurt in his eyes, he muttered an: "Okay", though she was still against visiting Melissa's grandma. She knew that that visit would end with a disaster, but she didn't say anything. If they wanted to listen to the old lady preaching to them for half an hour, then fine, but they shouldn't expect her to agree with everything Rose Tanner said. She said that out loud, making herself clear and her friends, having no other options, agreed to her ultimatum.

The walk to Melissa's grandma's apartment was long. For about an hour the mermaids and Dyson walked around, turning around every few minutes to make sure no one was following them. The streets were, as usual, busy, with tourists roaming around at almost every corner. The walk finally came to an end when Melissa and Destiny recognized the apartment building they visited a few months ago, when they needed Melissa's grandma's help and advice about what to do with May, who had been having problems with that bully Luke Olsen. A few minutes later, the group found the old woman's apartment and, after she kindly let them in, explained everything that was going on.

Melissa expected her grandma to be upset or at least scold them for being so reckless, but instead Rose smiled at them, nodding her head. She had made them all coffee and sat with them in the living room, carefully listening to their stories and thinking about things to be said.

"Murder isn't the answer, girls", Rose advised. Taking a look at Dyson, she quickly added: "And boys", making him smile. "You're too young to even think of such a thing, yet alone do it."

"Then what can we do? That woman is dangerous. It's not like we have any other way", Destiny said.

"We're out of ideas. Please, help us, grandma", Melissa begged.

Rose took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "There are other ways, yes."

Melissa beamed. "Really? Like what?"

"Yes, please share, Mrs. Tanner", said Destiny.

May was quiet for the whole time. Ever since they got there she sat in the corner of the couch, calm, staring wide-eyes into empty space. It was their entire fault that it has come down to this. If she and Destiny hadn't thought about using their powers for that stupid project of theirs, and if Melissa hadn't agreed to it, Silvana wouldn't get suspicious of them. But no! They wanted an easy A. How could they be so stupid? They should've known from the start that no things in life are easy, no matter if it's getting an A in Chemistry or holding the spoon and eating the right way.

"Remember the story I once told you?" Rose asked them.

Destiny rolled her eyes. "You've told us lots of stories, Mrs. Tanner. You're going to have to be a little bit more specific."

"The one about how my friend told her boyfriend about being a mermaid and he and his friends went after us?"

"Oh, right. That one", Melissa said. Then she realized what her grandma was saying. "No way."

"You mean-you want us to-" Destiny mumbled, unsure what to say.

Rose nodded at them. "Tonight's a very special Moon, girls."

"No, it's not", Destiny was quick to point that out. She was one hundred percent sure that tonight's Moon was just ordinary, normal looking full Moon. Nothing strange or different about it. Nothing at all. She refused to believe that.

"Actually, it is", Dyson said as realization hit him. "Tonight's a lunar eclipse."

"Meaning?" Melissa questioned. _Please, don't say that. Please! I'm begging you, don't say what I think you want to say,_ she thought to herself, squeezing her grandma's hand.

"Lunar eclipse takes away a mermaid's powers forever", Rose explained.

That's got May's attention. She pointed her look at Rose, furious sparks in her eyes. "Not gonna happen", she stated. She wasn't losing her powers just for the sake of Silvana. There was no way in hell that was happening. She'd rather die than give her powers up just for Silvana to leave them alone.

"Think about it. Without your powers, those people will want nothing to do with you", Rose said.

Melissa released her hand. "But grandma…"

"How could you ever ask that from us?" Destiny spat. "This mermaid thing is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I finally got over my fear of water, I have superpowers other people can only dream to have and now you want me to just give that all up? No freakin' way."

"There has to be another way", Melissa said, desperate for her grandma to say she was only giving one of a few possible options.

But that never happened. Rose kept quiet, afraid to hurt her granddaughter's feelings even more.

"Please, grandma", Melissa pleaded; tears streaming down her pale cheeks. "Tell me there is another way. Tell me there are other options. Tell me something, goddamnit! Don't just sit there. Say something! Say it! Say!" Broken, she laid her hand on her grandma's lap, crying and sobbing uncontrollably. Rose petted her granddaughter's hair, whispering comforting words into her ear.

Destiny went over to the window, tears in her own eyes. She couldn't remember when the last time she cried was. She must have been six or seven or maybe even younger. I wasn't in character of her to cry. She was always the strong one, the stoic of the group, the one that just shrugs everything off with a simple: "Whatever."

She hoped that Rose wouldn't say that their powers have to go away, but she was wrong. She wasn't safe; her powers weren't safe. They were a few hours away from being gone forever. After everything she and the girls have gone through, they couldn't just give up their powers as if they're throwing away an old piece of clothing. This secret was sacred to them, something that made them special, unique, different than others. When someone called them a freak, they could gladly thank them as it wasn't an insult anymore – they were freaks and damn proud of it.

But now they had to become normal again. The same as everyone else: boring, ordinary, powerless, usual girls next door. And Destiny hated even thinking about it.

"No way! I'm not giving up my powers! Forget about it!" May exclaimed. She got to her feet and went out the door, angrily slamming it behind her with so much force that the walls shook for a moment. She was heard mumbling all kinds of swear words and insults directed to Silvana and Arturo, as well as Chris, whom she called an "egg-headed, attention-seeking little dipstick."

Dyson apologized to Rose for May's behavior and ran after her. He found her by the apartment building's exit doors, leaned against the wall and crying her eyes out. Deciding that words would do more harm than good, he pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her. She returned the hug, leaning her head against his chest, crying into his shirt.

"Shhh, it'll be okay", Dyson whispered. He wiped the tears from her eyes and kissed her cheek, gently rubbing her back. "You're gonna be fine. Everything's gonna be fine."

"I can't", she sobbed. "I-I don't wanna lose my powers."

"There is no other way, May", Dyson said.

She shook her head. "I w-want t-to k-kill her. I-I want her t-to die. She… it… I can't…" She buried her head into his hest again, trembling.

Dyson put his arms around her once again, holding her close to him. "You can't kill her, sweetie. You can't kill anyone. It's not right."

"And what she's doing to us… _that's_ right?"

"I'm not saying that. All I'm saying is that killing people is wrong. Yes, I was all for it, but think about it, May. If you kill her, you'll spend your whole life knowing you took another life. You'll always worry about someone finding out about you. Whenever you see the police, you'll cross the street. Living in constant fear… that isn't like you, May. You can't do that to yourself. I can't let you do that."

May looked him straight into the yes, tears streaking down her cheeks. "I don't want to lose my powers", she sniffled.

He nodded at her. "I know, sweetie. I know."

He gently kissed her forehead and took her hands into his, smiling at her. She returned the smile and nodded at him. He nodded back and gave her one more reassuring hug. No matter how sad she was, he'd always be there for her. He promised her that. Powers or not, she'd always have him. He'd never leave her side, especially not now when she needed him the most.

-H2O-

May, Melissa and Destiny stood before the moon pool, their eyes fixated at the sparkly blue water. That was it. The end has finally come. Just a few more minutes and everything they ever loved and enjoyed will go away forever.

The girls took one another's hands, their legs shaky and their eyes teary. They thought that the hardest thing in the world will be high school, but they were horribly wrong – there was nothing harder than giving up the magic they loved and enjoyed for the last four months, the magic that guided and protected them, that made them the persons they were today.

Without magic, May would still be that chubby loser everyone at school made fun of, the girl who couldn't stand up for herself no matter how many times her friends talked to her and encouraged her. Melissa would still be that naïve, innocent little girl no one ever took seriously, not even her parents. Destiny would still be scared of water, she wouldn't even touch the ocean with her foot, how scared it made her feel.

"Guys", Melissa spoke, breaking the awkward silence. "What will you miss the most?"

"I'll miss my powers", May said.

"I'll miss swimming and having fun with you guys. It was the best thing ever", Melissa added with a sad smile.

Destiny nodded. "I'll miss it all."

The three looked at the cone of the volcano, where the pale moon was already being seen. Nodding, the girls squeezed one another's hands and stepped toward the moon pool, ready to jump in.

Only for two heads to dive out.

The mermaids watched in shock and Silvana and Arturo dove out and quickly went out of the moon pool, each blocking the girls' exit. Not that they wanted to escape, of course.

"I thought you'd be here", Silvana said.

Destiny scoffed. That woman was so full of herself that it was unbelievable.

"Just listen to us. We don't want to hurt you."

"I wish we could say the same", Destiny said. She looked at her friends. "What do you say? One last time?"

The two nodded.

"Prepare for trouble!" May smirked.

"And make it double!" Melissa accompanied her, giggling at the joke. "I've always wanted to say that."

Without another word May raised her hand and a big ball of water rose from the moon pool. Destiny instantly reacted, stretching her arm out and clenching her fists. May hurled the heated ball of water at Silvana, who shrieked out in pain as the heat hurt her skin, the force of the blow sending her flying into the wall.

Angry that they dared to hurt his wife, Arturo ran towards the girls, but Melissa was ready for him. Straightening her palm, she froze his wet clothing, the pain of ice squeezing his skin and throwing him to the ground.

"Stop!" Silvana exclaimed. Her skin was red and sore and she barely kept her balance as the pain still pumped through her body. "Look, I know how you did that project of yours."

"Do we get an A now?" Melissa asked, looking her straight into the eye.

"No, listen! We could work together! Why don't you reconsider?"

"Not interested", Destiny said.

"We're giving our powers up", Melissa told the scientist, whose eyes widened in shock.

"You can't do that", she spoke.

Destiny shot her a daring look. "Watch us."

"Please, just listen. Together, we could-"

"Listen, bitch", May cut her off, "there's no _us._ There are only the girls and me and you. No us. There's never been and never will be us. So just drop it."

The Moon was now completely over the cone. The water in the moon pool glowed, yellow sparkles rising up into the air. Nodding to one another, the girls jumped into the pool.

The girls' clothing was gone in a moment, replaced by scaly tails and tops. The three mermaids watched as the Moon slowly darkened, until it went completely dark, leaving them alone in the darkness. The three held hands, frightened of what would happen, when suddenly everything went light again.

As the Moon slowly returned to its silver light, May, Melissa and Destiny felt their magic slowly disappearing, constantly changing between legs and tail. The three felt the magic being drained from them, taken away forever by the very same force that had given it to them.

And as soon as the eclipse was over, their magic was goon too, as if it never even existed.

Silvana stared in shock as three friends went out of the pool. May and Melissa were crying, sad and broken, too shaken to say anything. Destiny, on the other hand, didn't let her feelings get the best of her – at least not yet. She walked over to Silvana, standing so close to her as if she was ready to hit her. Silvana was seriously afraid that the teenager would beat her up. Powers or not, she looked stronger than her, not to mention she was taller.

But instead of punching her, Destiny sent her a death glare, her fists clenched in rage. "It's over now. I hope you're happy. Now go home and leave us alone, you self-absorbed, attention-seeking, greedy whore!"

And with that she and the girls left.

-H2O-

_"It's over now. I hope you're happy. Now go home and leave us alone, you self-absorbed, attention-seeking, greedy whore!"_ Those words echoed in Destiny's head while Dyson drove her, May and Melissa back to the land. Once home, she locked herself into her room, leaning against the locked door.

It finally happened. Her magic was gone. Her powers were gone. She wasn't a mermaid anymore. There will be no more midnight swims, no more ditching or skipping school to go swimming, no more pranks with powers.

She wasn't special anymore. Now she was just a boring, ordinary girl, with ordinary life, ordinary problems, and ordinary thoughts. No more thinking about swimming with dolphins; if she thought about it, it would only make all of this hurt even more. She'd felt better if she could just about everything.

But she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, her thoughts kept returning to the last hour, to that horrendous when her magic was taken away forever. If only she could go back and enjoy it all again. If only she could grow a tail at least once again, just so she could say goodbye to it. If only her powers returned for just a minute, so she could pull one last prank and remember that feeling of power and glory she had.

Because she would never get that blissful feeling again.

Sobs took her over, her eyes finally allowing tears to fall. She fell to her knees, sad, broken, her pale cheeks showered with countless of tears that fell from her eyes.

-H2O-

May woke up early that morning. She hadn't had a lot of sleep that night. After Dyson took her home, she locked herself into her room and cried herself to sleep. Her eyes still sore from crying, she got up from the bed and stood in front of the large mirror. She observed her now thin figure, her long, slender legs. There were no traces of chubbiness anymore – it was like those few extra pounds have never even existed.

_I owe that all to…_ she thought and tears quickly returned to her eyes. She owed all that to being a mermaid – that's what she wanted to say, but the word _mermaid_ was too painful for her to even think of it.

What was the point of thinking about it, anyway? It'll never come back. It was gone forever.

She looked at herself in the mirror again. She got what she wanted. She wasn't chubby anymore. Shouldn't she be happy for that?

_No, I can't,_ she thought to herself. If she could, she would give up her slender figure, her handsome legs and everything else that made her pretty to get her powers back. How could she go to school now? How could she defend herself against Illene and Therese's tyranny? What would she do if Luke Olsen came back and started to bully her again?

_No, don't go down that road again,_ she told herself. If she came across them, she decided to pretend to have her powers again. Yes, that would help her. She knew it would. If she pretended to have her powers again, she could be strong and independent. She didn't need magic to make her feel that way – she only needed to pretend to have it.

Changing into her bikini, May ran toward the beach. Ooha'oma island was smiling at her in the distance; she smiled back and waved to it, as if waiting for someone to respond.

She couldn't go there anymore. At least not the easy way. Maybe she and the girls could go camping there during the next full Moon and become mermaids again. _Yes,_ she decided. _We'll do that._

But then she remembered Melissa's grandma's words: _"Lunar eclipse takes away a mermaid's powers forever."_

And her whole world trembled down.

She should have known it was hopeless. There was no magic in her anymore. The eclipse took every last bit of magic she had last night, leaving her a plain, ordinary human.

She looked at the ocean that glittered under the morning sun. If she touched it, she wouldn't grow a tail this time. If she twisted her hand, water wouldn't do her bidding. If she took a breath, she wouldn't be able to stay underwater for more than twenty seconds.

She sighed, tears welling in her hazel eyes. She slowly stepped into the shoal, feeling the cold water against her warm skin. She kept on walking, observing the world without fear of someone seeing her in the water. There was nothing to be afraid for anymore. No secrets that needed to be kept from curious eyes.

All of a sudden, she felt a familiar tingling in her legs. Widening her eyes in shock she glanced down at her legs; they merged together, forming a big, bronze tail. Her bikini was gone, replaced by a scaly top. Not able to hold her balance she fell into the water, her eyes trailing along her tail, watching it in amazement. She touched it to make sure it was real, that she wasn't imagining things.

The tail was as real as the sun that shone above her was. Melissa's grandma was wrong after all. Their powers weren't gone forever.

-H2O-

Destiny stared at her reflection, running her fingers against her lips and eyelids. She wore no makeup today, only some lip-gloss. She wasn't a mermaid anymore and she needed changes. Turning over a new leaf was something she was going for and there was nothing better to do for a start than getting rid of makeup. It only hid her natural beauty anyway. She felt more free this way.

And besides, whenever she transformed into a mermaid, her makeup was gone and no one ever complained about her looking ugly. She thought it would be horrible, but she actually liked her new self. After brushing her hair and teeth she went to the bathroom.

Once she did her business, she went to wash her hands only to notice something unusual. Her legs were tingling in a funny way. She knew very well what that tingling meant, but it couldn't be – could it?

Her question was answered when she fell to the hard floor fully transformed, tail and all. No words came out of her mind. There was nothing she could say to describe what she was feeling at the moment. All she could do was to stare.

And then she smiled.

-H2O-

After spending the whole night crying in her bed, Melissa figured that the only thing that could make her feel better was taking a bath. As she stepped into the bathtub, her mind brought back memories of last night, when she had come home just a few minutes after giving up her powers forever.

Tears overwhelmed her before she even reached the door and the whole situation got harder when Misty began asking her questions of her whereabouts. Melissa just went to her room, not up for discussing at such a late hour, but the kid was persistent. She kept banging on the door, demanding answers, while Melissa helplessly lied on the floor, sobbing, hugging herself, pulling her hair to stop the pain that ripped through her body.

Finally having enough of her sister's behavior, Melissa went out, grabbed Misty by the hair and dragged her to her room, threatening her to hurt her if she didn't leave her alone.

And now she was lying in the bathtub, enjoying the warm bath, at last safe and free of dangers and annoyances. She might not be a mermaid anymore, but she still had her dignity and needs. And a warm bath existed solely for the purpose of satisfying her needs.

She closed her eyes, lost in thoughts and memories of herself as a mermaid. She remembered all the little pranks she and her friends pulled, all those full Moon nights when they acted wacky, all the adventures they had underwater. She will miss it; all of it. She'll even miss the fear of touching water that came along with being a mermaid.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice a funny feeling in her legs until it was too late. Opening her eyes, she saw a tail in place of her legs. It was falling over the edge of the bathtub, the fin almost touching the floor.

Melissa stared, surprised, baffled. How could this happen? Didn't her grandma say that the eclipse would take away their powers forever?

A loud, manic knocking on the door snapped her out of her thoughts. She heard May and Destiny's voices and instantly told them to get in. That was about them too. They deserved to know that they were mermaids again. Melissa couldn't be the only one to get her powers back. Could she?

"We got our powers back too", May said as Destiny closed the door.

"You too? Seriously?" Melissa asked.

Destiny nodded.

"I don't know how or why it happened, but it's awesome. I love it, love it, love it, love it!" she exclaimed jumping around the bathroom, performing her happy dance.

Destiny's face beamed. Melissa had never seen her that happy before. And then she realized something. "No makeup?"

Destiny shook her head. "I decided to try something new."

"You look better this way", May complimented her.

Destiny smiles. "Thanks."

"I still don't get it how… I mean, this… it wasn't supposed to happen", Melissa said, confusion written all over her face.

"Actually, it was", said the voice, startling the three friends. Dyson came into the bathroom wearing a warm, cheerful smile. The girls all looked at him, their looks telling him that they demand an explanation. "Melissa's grandmother gave me a call this morning. She said that lunar eclipse only takes away your powers for twelve hours. She didn't tell you anything because she wanted your reaction to be real so Silvana wouldn't suspect anything."

"Seriously?" May said with a frown.

Destiny rolled her eyes. "That old hag!" she growled. "She… because of her… I…" she was too embarrassed to admit that she cried, so she went quiet, not wanting to continue with her rant.

But then there was Melissa, who was in a full ranting mode. "I'll kill her. I swear to god, I'll murder her, decapitate her, freeze her. I'll…" She sighed. "Ughhhh. She's so dead when she comes to visit next time."

"Forget about that, girls, and focus on what's important – you got to keep your powers and managed to fool Silvana at the same time. You should be proud of yourselves", Dyson said.

"You're right", May said, wrapping her arms around him and leaning in to kiss him. "I really am proud. And happy."

"I guess so", Destiny laughed.

"I'm so putting this into my novel", Melissa said.

The three girls, along with Dyson, burst into laughter.

**Hope you all had a nice time reading this story and take care till the next time!**

**I would like to thank to all the people that reviewed. Thank you so much, guys. I owe you everything! Your reviews always made my day and for that I'm thankful.**

**I can't guarantee you that the next season will come out quickly, but I'm got awesome ideas for it and I only need to write them down. Cheers until the next time!**


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